What's the difference between: 耳膜 and 鼓膜?
Apparently they both check out to eardrum in English.
汉语大辞典, even, defines 耳膜 as
耳中鼓膜。
Can 鼓膜 be used in other places then?
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no, 鼓膜 is just means eardrum, doesn't have other meanings– biubiubiuCommented Jan 20, 2015 at 7:26
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3 Answers
The dictionary takes extra caution and says it's the membrane in the ear, because 鼓膜 literally means "drum membrane", which might be taken by someone as the membrane on a real drum.
In real usage, however, 鼓膜 is just the eardrum. The membrane on a drum instrument, or the drum head, is called 鼓皮.
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@user3306356 You can find lots of examples by searching 鼓皮 and 鼓膜 on line. Commented Jan 20, 2015 at 14:52
耳膜and 鼓膜 refer to same thing. 膜，membrane。耳膜，get its name from the position of it. 鼓膜，get its name from its way of working--like the leather cover of a drum. 《高级汉语词典》：耳膜：鼓膜。 and translation to 耳膜：eardrum； 鼓膜: tympanic membrane.
鼓膜 is a medical terms, translated from Western world. It is seldom said in casual conversation. Say 耳膜 instead.
