肺

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

肉 (고기 육) — semantic component, signifying the body or flesh, used in anatomical terms.

巿 (슬갑 불) — phonetic component, providing the sound 폐.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字), Xu Shen defines:

「肺，氣府也。从肉巿聲。」

“肺 is the storehouse of qi (氣); composed of 肉 (flesh) and the sound 巿.”

The form thus belongs to the anatomical class of characters beginning with the 肉 radical (⺼), marking internal organs (e.g. 心, 肝, 腎, 脾, etc.).

The right-hand component 巿 represents phonetic value only, but its resemblance to 市 (market) has led to frequent confusion in writing — a point of caution in examination and calligraphy.

肺 (허파) — lung

肺臟 (폐장) — the lungs (as an organ)

肺炎 (폐렴) — pneumonia

肺氣 (폐기) — pulmonary energy; breath

肺病 (폐병) — lung disease; tuberculosis

肺癌 (폐암) — lung cancer

氣肺 (기폐) — emphysema (collapsed lung)

肺活量 (폐활량) — lung capacity

心肺 (심폐) — heart and lungs

In traditional Chinese medicine, 肺 is regarded as the organ governing qi (氣) and the movement of breath.

The Huangdi Neijing (黃帝內經·素問·陰陽應象大論) states:

「肺者，氣之本，魄之處也。」

“The lungs are the root of qi and the residence of the corporeal soul (魄).”

It is described as the delicate viscus (嬌臟), easily affected by dryness, cold, and grief — hence the emotional correspondence of 肺 with sorrow (悲).

In physiological theory, 肺 governs respiration, regulates water passage, and controls the skin and hair.

The term 허파 in Korean is purely native, yet the Sino-Korean term 폐(肺) appears in all technical, medical, and academic contexts.

In North Korea, it is pronounced 페, as in 페렴 (pneumonia), analogous to the dialectal alternation seen in words like 몌(袂) pronounced 메.

Thus, 肺 denotes more than a mere organ: it represents the gateway of breath and vitality, the meeting point between the physical and the spiritual currents of life — the place where Heaven’s air becomes the body’s spirit.

Calligraphically, the right component must be written as 巿 (4 strokes), not 市 (5 strokes) — a traditional distinction maintained in classical orthography.