肢 (zhī) is a Chinese character meaning “limb”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 支 (branch; to support), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “limb”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
月 + 支
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·肉部（胑，體四胑也。从肉只聲。肢，胑或从支）；现代字形拆分为 月(肉)+支
Memory aid
月 on the left is the flesh-body marker; 支 on the right means "branch". The parts that branch off your body are your limbs.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 四肢sì zhīthe four limbs; arms and legs肢 = zhī
- 肢体zhī tǐlimbs; the limbs and the body肢 = zhī
Go deeper
All readings
limb
limb; an arm or a leg of the body
人或动物身上的胳膊和腿。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 四肢sì zhīthe four limbs; arms and legs肢 = zhī
- 肢体zhī tǐlimbs; the limbs and the body肢 = zhī
Sound component
支 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 肢 mean?
肢 (zhī) means limb; an arm or a leg of the body.
How do you pronounce 肢?
It is pronounced zhī.
What parts is 肢 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 支 (branch; to support), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·肉部（胑，體四胑也。从肉只聲。肢，胑或从支）；现代字形拆分为 月(肉)+支. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 肢 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 肢?
月. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 肢?
Common ones are 四肢 and 肢体. The reading of 肢 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.