肓 Stroke Order

肓 [huāng] 名 1. In traditional Chinese medicine, it refers to the area above the diaphragm, under the heart. - The term "膏肓" (gāo huāng) denotes a place where medicinal properties do not reach, as the "膏" (gāo) refers to the fatty tissue around the heart and the "肓" (huāng) refers to the space between the heart and the diaphragm. Therefore, the phrase "病入膏肓" (bìng rù gāo huāng) means a sickness that has become so severe that it is beyond remedy. 【Original Meaning】: The area between the heart and diaphragm, considered a place where medicine cannot reach according to traditional Chinese medicine. 【Character Formation】: The character is a phonetic compound formed from the radical "肉" (meaning meat) and the sound "亡". 【References】 1. "说文解字" states: 肓, the area above the diaphragm and below the heart. 2. "左传·成公十年" states: resided above the肓 and below the膏. Note: "鬲" refers to an anatomical part. It follows that above the 膏 is the 肓, and below the 肓 is the 鬲. 【Example】 As in: "病入膏肓" (The ancient medical term for the fatty tissue at the heart is "膏". This phrase indicates a very serious illness that is hard to cure.)