肩膊 (jiān bó) is a formal or literary term for 'shoulder', composed of two characters: 肩 (jiān), meaning 'shoulder' on its own, and 膊 (bó), which specifically refers to the upper arm or shoulder region — especially in classical or written Chinese. Together, they form a compound noun emphasizing the entire shoulder-and-upper-arm area, often used in medical, literary, or ceremonial contexts rather than casual speech.

This word appears frequently in traditional texts, martial arts descriptions, and health-related discourse — for example, when discussing posture, injury, or acupuncture points. Unlike the everyday word 肩膀 (jiān bǎng), 肩膊 carries a slightly archaic or elevated register and is rarely heard in modern spoken Mandarin outside set phrases or stylistic choices. It may also appear in regional varieties like Cantonese, but in standard Mandarin it remains primarily written and formal.