皮肉
ひにく · hiniku · JLPT N2 · noun
sarcasm
🥩 皮肉 = skin + flesh: a jab that stings the skin, not the heart
Sarcasm is a skin-and-flesh jab: the words sound polite on the surface but are meant to sting. Parts: 皮 skin, 肉 flesh.
皮 — hand 又 stripping hide off animal
皮 is a pictograph showing a hand (又) peeling the skin or hide off an animal carcass. The original meaning was 'animal hide' or 'to flay,' which broadened over time to mean skin, leather, or any outer covering or surface.
肉 — pictograph of a slab of meat with ribs/striations
肉 is a pictograph originally depicting a piece of butchered meat, showing the outer cut and the striations of muscle or ribs inside. The character has meant 'flesh' or 'meat' since oracle bone times. As a radical it is usually written 月 on the left or bottom of characters relating to the body (e.g. 肝, 胃).