Famously appears in 《
论语》:
饭疏食饮水,
曲肱而枕之,
乐亦在其中矣 — 'Coarse rice for food, water to drink, my bent arm for a pillow — joy is found even in this.' Confucius's line on contentment with simple living. Today
肱 mostly survives in anatomical terms like
肱二头肌 (biceps) and
肱骨 (humerus).