shoulder (body part); metaphor for responsibility
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
3 senses · 7 examplesnoun
shoulder (the part connecting the arm or forelimb to the torso)
Refers to the anatomical shoulder. Can be used for both humans and animals. The diminutive '~儿' is common in informal, spoken Mandarin.
Wǒ我
de的
jiān肩
bǎng膀
yǒu有
diǎn点
suān酸
。
My shoulder is a bit sore.
Tā他
pāi拍
le了
pāi拍
hái孩
zi子
de的
jiān肩
bǎng膀
。
He patted the child on the shoulder.
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Zhè这
jiàn件
yī衣
fu服
de的
jiān肩
bǎng膀
tài太
zhǎi窄
le了
。
The shoulders of this garment are too narrow.
noun
ability to bear responsibility; reliability
informalUsed metaphorically, often following adjectives like '硬' or '宽'.
Tā他
jiān肩
bǎng膀
r儿
yìng硬
，
zhè这
ge个
xiàng项
mù目
jiāo交
gěi给
tā他
méi没
wèn问
tí题
。
He has strong shoulders; it's no problem to give this project to him.
Zuò作
wéi为
lǐng领
dǎo导
，
tā他
xū需
yào要
yī一
fù副
kuān宽
jiān肩
bǎng膀
lái来
chéng承
dān担
zé责
rèn任
。
As a leader, he needs broad shoulders to bear responsibilities.
verb phrase
to shirk responsibility; to avoid taking on duty
informalSpecifically from the idiom '溜肩膀', implying a physical or metaphorical 'slipping' of responsibility.
Guān关
jiàn键
shí时
hou候
，
tā他
jū居
rán然
liū溜
jiān肩
bǎng膀
le了
。
At the critical moment, he actually shirked responsibility.
Bié别
zǒng总
shì是
liū溜
jiān肩
bǎng膀
，
zhè这
shì是
tuán团
duì队
de的
gōng工
zuò作
。
Don't always duck out; this is the team's work.