膜

A phono-semantic compound:

肉 (육, “meat, flesh”) - provides the meaning (relating to the body or organic matter);

莫 (막, “none, dark”) - provides the sound.

The flesh radical indicates a bodily or organic substance, while 莫 provides the sound and originally conveyed a sense of diffuse covering, reinforcing the idea of a thin layer spread over something.

The earliest meaning of 膜 was "a thin layer covering organs or tissues." It referred specifically to biological membranes, such as those surrounding organs or forming bodily partitions.

黏膜 (점막) — mucous membrane

角膜 (각막) — cornea

鼓膜 (고막) — eardrum

筋膜 (근막) — fascia

망막 (網膜) — retina

膜組織 (막조직) — membranous tissue

膜 is neutral and technical, lacking the moral weight seen in characters like 剝 or 奪.

It strongly belongs to scientific and anatomical vocabulary in modern usage.

In East Asian languages, it functions almost identically to the Western concept of a membrane.

In traditional Chinese medical texts, 膜 refers to:

- internal tissue layers

- protective coverings of organs

Example contexts include descriptions of viscera, fascia, and bodily boundaries.

In Buddhist philosophy, 膜 is sometimes used metaphorically for:

- subtle attachments

- thin veils obscuring insight

Though not a primary doctrinal term, it appears in commentarial language describing the body or perception.

Related characters:

皮 — skin (outer surface)

殼 — shell (hard covering)

層 — layer (general)

隔 — partition

覆 — cover

剝 — removal of a covering