Chinese word

膝盖

Pronunciation

Pinyinxī gài

Meaning

  • nounknee

Example

他扶着墙，疼得抱住膝盖。tā fú zhe qiáng téng de bào zhù xī gài

He held onto the wall and clutched his knee in pain.

Illustration for 膝盖 (knee)

More examples

运动前要热身，以免膝盖受力过大。yùn dòng qián yào rè shēn yí miǎn xī gài shòu lì guò dà

Warm up before exercise so your knees are not put under too much strain.

Core concept

The bendable, weight-bearing joint where the thigh meets the lower leg.

Common phrases

  • 左膝盖zuǒ xī gài

    left knee

  • 膝盖疼痛xī gài téng tòng

    knee pain

  • 伸直膝盖shēn zhí xī gài

    straighten the knee

Similar words

膝xī: A common short form for the knee in everyday speech.
膝关节xī guān jié: The formal medical name for the joint between the thigh and lower leg.

Definition in Chinese

人体下肢与大腿相接处的关节或其外部部分，能够屈曲并承受身体重量的部位rén tǐ xià zhī yǔ dà tuǐ xiāng jiē chù de guān jié huò qí wài bù bù fèn néng gòu qū qū bìng chéng shòu shēn tǐ zhòng liàng de bù wèi

Word origin

膝盖 (xīgài, "knee") combines 膝 (xī, "knee") with 盖 (gài, "cover"), referring to the joint and the outer part that covers it.

Usage tips

  • The first syllable, xī, stays high and level, while the second, gài, falls sharply, so keeping the tone contrast clear helps this everyday body word remain recognizable in quick speech.

Word lists with this word