腸

It refers broadly to the digestive tract inside the body and is used in medical and anatomical contexts.

A phono-semantic compound:

肉 (육, “meat, flesh”) – indicates the meaning (a body part or organ);

昜 (양, “sunlight”) – provides the pronunciation (cháng / 장) and contributes the idea of extension or length

The original meaning of 腸 is "the long, winding digestive organ inside the body."

Because intestines are elongated and continuous, the phonetic component 昜 (meaning “to extend, to rise”) fits both sound and imagery.

창자 (腸子) — intestines

대장 (大腸) — large intestine

소장 (小腸) — small intestine

위장 (胃腸) — stomach and intestines

Within traditional East Asian anatomy, 腸 belongs to the 腑 (hollow organs), not the 臟 (solid organs).

Conceptual comparison:

腸 — intestines

胃 — stomach

臟 — internal organs (solid)

腑 — hollow organs

肉 — flesh

In classical literature, 腸 sometimes symbolizes deep emotional pain, especially grief or longing (e.g., “tear the intestines”).