抽筋

chōujīn

verb #9,252

Meanings

1 to have a cramp
2 to have a muscle spasm

Characters

to pull; to twitch; to draw out

tendon; muscle; sinew

Examples

我游泳的时候腿抽筋了。

Wǒ yóuyǒng de shíhou tuǐ chōujīn le.

I got a leg cramp while swimming.

半夜小腿抽筋疼醒了。

Bànyè xiǎotuǐ chōujīn téng xǐng le.

A calf cramp woke me up in the middle of the night.

Tips

memory

抽 (to pull/twitch) + 筋 (tendon/muscle) — your muscle twitches and pulls involuntarily. The image of a tendon being yanked is visceral enough to remember.

Stroke Order

抽 chōu

筋 jīn