Origin

The character 肘 combines two components to represent the elbow. The left part, 月, is a radical that classifies this as a character related to body parts and flesh. The right part, 寸, originally meant a small unit of measurement or distance. Together they suggest a joint in the arm—a specific point where the limb can bend and measure its reach. This compound structure captures both the physical nature of the elbow as a body part and its functional role as a hinge that divides the arm into measurable segments.