entries → 筋
TSUMUGU · TOCFL 5 (est.) · 字
筋 character · TOCFL 5 (est.)
筋 ＝ 竹 ＋ 月 ＋ 力
ㄐㄧㄣ · jīn
noun — sinew, tendon; muscle, fiber

字源 FORM — what the parts do

竹義bamboo — split, it runs in long fibersworn flat to 𥫗 across the top
月義flesh (the 肉 radical)
力義strength, a straining arm
Flesh (月) with strength (力) in it, running in fibers like split bamboo (竹) — the sinew. The bamboo names the texture: many tough strands packed together.

故事 STORY — a scene to remember it by

撕開一塊肉（月），裡頭一條條使勁的纖維（力），像竹篾（竹）一樣韌。
Tear the meat (月) and the straining fibers inside (力) run tough and long, like split bamboo (竹).
字源記憶法
意 · Meanings
(本義)筋、韌帶— sinew, tendon常用
→筋肉、牛蹄筋— muscle; tendon as food
⇒鋼筋、抽筋— a fiber-like strand; a cramp
(本義) original meaning · → ⇒ each arrow = one more step of extension
關 · Related
觔jīnthe variant — same word, an older shape肌＝ 月 ＋ 几jīthe flesh partner — 肌 is the soft meat, 筋 the tough cord inside it