Definition

1. Noun:
   • The lower leg: The part of the human leg between the knee and the ankle.
   • Shank: The corresponding part in animals, often used for food.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Anh ấy bị đau ở cẳng chân. (He has pain in his lower leg.)
  • Món súp được nấu từ cẳng chân gà. (The soup is made from chicken shanks.)
  • Cẳng chân cô ấy bị bầm tím sau khi va vào bàn. (Her shin was bruised after bumping into the table.)

Advanced Usage

• Anatomical/Formal Context: Used in medical or anatomical descriptions.

  • Xương chày và xương mác là hai xương chính của cẳng chân. (The tibia and fibula are the two main bones of the lower leg.)

• Colloquial/Descriptive Use: Can be used informally to refer to the leg in general, though "chân" (leg) is more common for the whole limb.

  • Chạy bộ nhiều khiến cẳng chân tôi rắn chắc. (Running a lot makes my lower legs firm.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cẳng tay (n): Forearm (the part of the arm between the elbow and the wrist).
• Bắp chân (n): Calf (the fleshy back part of the lower leg).
• Ống chân/Ống quyển (n): Shin (the front part of the lower leg).

Synonyms

• Ống chân: Specifically refers to the shin (front part).
• Chân: Leg (the entire limb from hip to foot).

Related Phrases (Thành ngữ/Tục ngữ)

• Cao cẳng: Long-legged; can figuratively mean someone who runs fast or travels a lot.
  • Anh ấy cao cẳng nên chạy rất nhanh. (He is long-legged so he runs very fast.)
• Chân lấm tay bùn: Literally "muddy feet and hands"; means to work hard in the fields, denoting a laborer or farmer.
  • Họ làm việc chân lấm tay bùn cả ngày. (They work with muddy feet and hands all day.)

Notes on Usage

• "Cẳng chân" is a specific anatomical term. In everyday conversation, when referring to the entire leg, people typically use the more general word "chân".
• The phrase "thượng cẳng chân, hạ cẳng tay" is an idiom meaning "to pummel" or "to beat up severely," implying a violent assault using both the lower legs and forearms. It is not a standard definition of the word itself but a fixed expression using it.
  • Bọn côn đồ đánh người đàn ông thượng cẳng chân hạ cẳng tay. (The thugs beat the man up severely.)

1. Shank
   • thượng cẳng chân hạ cẳng tay
     to pummel, to beat up