肾脏 is the standard anatomical term for 'kidney' in modern Chinese, referring to the pair of bean-shaped organs that filter waste and excess fluids from the blood to produce urine. The character 肾 (shèn) originally meant 'kidney' in classical Chinese and carries connotations of vitality and reproductive essence in traditional medicine; 脏 (zàng) means 'internal organ', especially one of the five major viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Together, 肾脏 emphasizes the organ’s physiological role in Western biomedicine while retaining its foundational importance in holistic health concepts.

This word is used in clinical, educational, and everyday health contexts — for example, when discussing diseases like kidney failure or lifestyle habits affecting renal function. It is more formal and precise than colloquial alternatives like 肾 (shèn) alone, which can sound vague or overly casual in medical discussions. Unlike some body-part terms, 肾脏 is almost always plural in meaning (referring to both kidneys), though it functions as a singular noun grammatically.