jīròu: 肌肉 - Muscle

• Keywords: jīròu, 肌肉, Chinese for muscle, muscle in Chinese, workout in Chinese, build muscle Chinese, fitness in China, sore muscles Chinese, 肉 (ròu), 肌 (jī), anatomy in Chinese, exercise.
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese word 肌肉 (jīròu), meaning “muscle.” This comprehensive guide covers everything from its basic definition and character origins to its central role in modern China's burgeoning fitness culture. Discover how to talk about working out, being sore, and describing a muscular physique, while understanding the cultural nuances that differentiate Chinese and Western ideas about body image and strength.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): jī ròu
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 4
• Concise Definition: The soft tissue in the body that can contract to produce movement; a muscle.
• In a Nutshell: 肌肉 (jīròu) is the direct and most common word for “muscle.” It's a biological term used in both medical and anatomical contexts, but its most frequent modern use is in everyday conversations about fitness, exercise, and health. If you're talking about going to the gym, feeling sore after a workout, or describing someone's physique, jīròu is the word you need.

• 肌 (jī): This character means “muscle” or “flesh.” It's composed of the “flesh” radical `月` (a variant of `肉`) on the left, which indicates it's related to the body, and the phonetic component `几 (jī)` on the right, which gives the character its sound.
• 肉 (ròu): This is a very common character and pictograph, originally drawn to look like a slab of meat with ribs. It means “meat” or “flesh” in a general sense.
• How they combine: The combination `肌肉` literally means “muscle-flesh.” The first character, `肌`, specifies the type of tissue, while the second character, `肉`, grounds it as a type of “flesh.” Together, they form a precise and unambiguous term for anatomical muscle.

While 肌肉 (jīròu) is a straightforward biological term, its cultural significance has evolved dramatically in modern China. Traditionally, Chinese aesthetics, particularly for men, often prized a slender, scholarly physique over a brawny, muscular one. Strength was valued, but overt muscularity was sometimes associated with manual labor rather than high status. However, with globalization and a rising middle class, Western-style fitness culture has exploded in Chinese cities. The pursuit of jīròu is now a major trend. This has created a fascinating blend of old and new values:

• Comparison to the West: The “gym bro” culture of lifting weights (`举铁 jǔ tiě`) to build large 肌肉 is very similar to its Western counterpart, but it's a more recent phenomenon in China. This new ideal of a muscular man (`肌肉男 jīròu nán`) coexists with the more traditional ideals.
• Female Fitness Ideals: For women, the focus is often less on building large 肌肉 and more on achieving a toned, lean look. The term `马甲线 (mǎjiǎxiàn)`, or “vest line” (a slang term for defined abs), is a massive fitness goal and a popular hashtag on social media, reflecting a desire for fitness that is seen as strong yet feminine.
• Holistic Health: This new gym culture complements traditional wellness practices like Tai Chi (`太极 tàijí`) and Qigong (`气功 qìgōng`), which focus more on flexibility, balance, and internal energy (`气 qì`) rather than visible 肌肉.

肌肉 (jīròu) is a versatile term used across several common domains.

• Fitness and Exercise: This is its most common context. You use it to talk about your fitness goals, workouts, and their effects.
  • Building muscle: `练肌肉 (liàn jīròu)` or `增肌 (zēng jī)`
  • Sore muscles: `肌肉酸痛 (jīròu suāntòng)`
  • Flexing muscles: `秀肌肉 (xiù jīròu)` (lit. “show off muscles”)
• Anatomy and Medicine: In any medical or formal biological discussion, jīròu is the correct term.
  • Muscle strain: `肌肉拉伤 (jīròu lāshāng)`
  • Muscle group: `肌肉群 (jīròu qún)`
  • Muscle relaxant: `肌肉松弛剂 (jīròu sōngchí jì)`
• Describing Appearance: It's used to describe someone's physique. The connotation is generally positive, implying health and discipline.
  • “He is very muscular.” - `他很壮 (tā hěn zhuàng)` or `他很有肌肉 (tā hěn yǒu jīròu)`.
  • A muscular man: `肌肉男 (jīròu nán)`.

• Example 1:
  • 我去健身房是为了练肌肉。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ qù jiànshēnfáng shì wèile liàn jīròu.
  • English: I go to the gym to build muscle.
  • Analysis: A very common and practical sentence for anyone interested in fitness. `练 (liàn)` means “to train” or “to practice.”
• Example 2:
  • 昨天我运动得太厉害了，今天全身肌肉酸痛。
  • Pinyin: Zuótiān wǒ yùndòng de tài lìhài le, jīntiān quánshēn jīròu suāntòng.
  • English: I exercised too hard yesterday, and today my whole body's muscles are sore.
  • Analysis: `酸痛 (suāntòng)` is the perfect word for muscle soreness after a workout. `全身 (quánshēn)` means “the entire body.”
• Example 3:
  • 那个男演员的肌肉线条真好看。
  • Pinyin: Nàge nán yǎnyuán de jīròu xiàntiáo zhēn hǎokàn.
  • English: That male actor's muscle definition is really nice.
  • Analysis: `线条 (xiàntiáo)` means “lines” or “contours.” Here, `肌肉线条` refers to muscle definition, a key aesthetic concept in fitness.
• Example 4:
  • 医生说我只是轻微的肌肉拉伤，休息几天就好了。
  • Pinyin: Yīshēng shuō wǒ zhǐshì qīngwēi de jīròu lāshāng, xiūxi jǐ tiān jiù hǎo le.
  • English: The doctor said it's just a minor muscle strain and I'll be fine after a few days of rest.
  • Analysis: This shows the medical usage of the term. `拉伤 (lāshāng)` means “strain” or “pull.”
• Example 5:
  • 他虽然很瘦，但是肌肉很结实。
  • Pinyin: Tā suīrán hěn shòu, dànshì jīròu hěn jiēshi.
  • English: Although he is very skinny, his muscles are very firm/solid.
  • Analysis: `结实 (jiēshi)` is a great adjective to describe muscles that are dense and strong, not necessarily large.
• Example 6:
  • 跑步主要锻炼的是腿部肌肉。
  • Pinyin: Pǎobù zhǔyào duànliàn de shì tuǐbù jīròu.
  • English: Running mainly exercises the leg muscles.
  • Analysis: Shows how to specify a muscle group. `腿部 (tuǐbù)` means “leg area.”
• Example 7:
  • 蛋白质是肌肉生长的重要营养。
  • Pinyin: Dànbáizhì shì jīròu shēngzhǎng de zhòngyào yíngyǎng.
  • English: Protein is an important nutrient for muscle growth.
  • Analysis: Connects the term to nutrition and diet, another common context.
• Example 8:
  • 按摩可以有效地放松紧张的肌肉。
  • Pinyin: Ànmó kěyǐ yǒuxiào de fàngsōng jǐnzhāng de jīròu.
  • English: Massage can effectively relax tense muscles.
  • Analysis: A practical sentence related to recovery and relaxation. `放松 (fàngsōng)` means “to relax.”
• Example 9:
  • 他在镜子前不停地秀他的肌肉。
  • Pinyin: Tā zài jìngzi qián bùtíng de xiù tā de jīròu.
  • English: He's constantly flexing his muscles in front of the mirror.
  • Analysis: `秀 (xiù)` is a loanword from the English “show” and is commonly used to mean “show off.”
• Example 10:
  • 随着年龄的增长，人的肌肉会自然流失。
  • Pinyin: Suízhe niánlíng de zēngzhǎng, rén de jīròu huì zìrán liúshī.
  • English: As people age, their muscle mass will naturally decline.
  • Analysis: A more formal, scientific example. `流失 (liúshī)` means “to be washed away” or “to be depleted.”

• `肌肉 (jīròu)` vs. `肉 (ròu)`: This is the most crucial distinction. 肉 (ròu) means “meat” or “flesh” in a general sense. If you are ordering food, you eat `肉`, not `肌肉`. Calling someone `肉肉的 (ròu ròu de)` means they are “chubby” or “fleshy,” which is very different from muscular.
  • Correct: `我晚饭想吃牛肉。` (Wǒ wǎnfàn xiǎng chī niúròu.) - I want to eat beef for dinner.
  • Incorrect: `我晚饭想吃牛肌肉。` (This sounds like you want to eat anatomical cow muscle tissue, which is weird and unnatural.)
• `肌肉 (jīròu)` vs. `力气 (lìqi)`: Don't confuse being muscular with being strong. 肌肉 refers to the physical tissue, while 力气 (lìqi) refers to physical strength or power. Someone can be strong without looking very muscular.
  • Example: `他虽然没有很多肌肉，但是力气很大。` (Tā suīrán méiyǒu hěnduō jīròu, dànshì lìqi hěn dà.) - Although he isn't very muscular, he is very strong.

• 健身 (jiànshēn) - Fitness; to work out. This is the activity you do to build jīròu.
• 锻炼 (duànliàn) - To exercise; to train. A broader term for physical training.
• 力气 (lìqi) - Physical strength. The functional output of jīròu.
• 身材 (shēncái) - Body shape; figure; physique. Your jīròu (or lack thereof) is a key component of your shēncái.
• 增肌 (zēng jī) - To gain muscle. A specific fitness goal, lit. “increase muscle.”
• 减脂 (jiǎn zhī) - To lose fat. The common counterpart to zēng jī, lit. “reduce fat.”
• 腹肌 (fùjī) - Abs; abdominal muscles. A specific and popular type of jīròu. `腹 (fù)` means abdomen.
• 马甲线 (mǎjiǎxiàn) - “Vest line.” A popular slang term for toned female abs, a major fitness trend.
• 肌肉男 (jīròu nán) - “Muscle man”; a muscular guy. A common colloquial term.
• 酸痛 (suāntòng) - Sore; aching. The feeling you get in your jīròu after an intense workout.