胃 wèi stomach
How it came to be
A bag drawn with its contents inside, over meat. The bronze forms show grains in the bag: a stomach with food in it, the only way anybody ever drew one.
How it is used
- 胃 is the word for 'stomach' and, unlike many body-part components, can stand alone: 我胃疼 (wǒ wèi téng) - my stomach hurts.
- 胃口 wèikǒu literally 'mouth of the stomach' means 'appetite,' and extends metaphorically to interest or taste: 没胃口 (méi wèikǒu) - no appetite; 不合胃口 (bù hé wèikǒu) - not to one's taste.
- In medical or dietary talk 胃 combines freely: 胃病 (wèibìng) stomach illness, 养胃 (yǎngwèi) to nurture one's stomach - a common health idiom.