筋

An associative compound:

竹 (“bamboo”) — semantic element, originally representing bamboo strips or fibers.

肋 (“rib”) — semantic element, representing bone or flesh.

Together, they depict the fibrous tissue binding flesh and bone → tendon, sinew.

From this arose the sense of muscle, strength, and structure.

筋肉 (근육) — muscle

血筋 (혈근) — veins, sinews

神經筋 (신경근) — nerve root (medical)

筋道 (근도) — “threads, logic, structure”

力筋 (역근) — physical strength

In martial arts and medicine, 筋 is essential: tendons and muscles are the source of physical power and flexibility.

Figuratively, 筋 refers to the threads or lines of reasoning (e.g., 筋道, “logic, coherence”).

In some educational works (e.g., 마법천자문), 筋 was mistakenly glossed as “힘주다” (“to exert force”), though its true meaning is the physical tendon/muscle.