shèn
noun HSK 7-9 #5,366

Measure Word

一个

Meanings

  1. 1 kidney

Examples

Tā de shèngōngnéng bùtàihǎo.
His kidney function is not very good.
Tā xūyào zuò shènyízhí shǒushù.
She needs a kidney transplant.

Tips

memory
The character contains (chén, minister) at the top and (ròu, flesh/meat) radical on the side — think of a minister's vital organ made of flesh.

Components

radical
ròu
flesh (radical form)
Bottom flesh radical, the indexing component (Kangxi 130). Marks as a body-part character, joining (liver), (gallbladder), (spleen), (lung). The kidney sits visually in the same anatomical row as those organs.
phonetic
yòu
right hand (with absorbed eye)
Top block is the simplified residue of (jiān): an eye above a hand . In the traditional the full eye-and-hand carried the sound; PRC simplification merged the 6-stroke into stylised marks beside , leaving 6 strokes here for what would be 2 standalone — historical fusion.

Stroke Order

shèn