症结

Traditional form:

癥結

Pinyin (reading):

zhēngjié

Definitions:

• hard lump in the abdomen (in Chinese medicine)
• crux of an issue
• main point in an argument
• sticking point
• deadlock in negotiations

Characters:

• 症 - ailment, disease, illness
• 结 - knot, tie; to connect, to join

Traditional characters:

• 癥 - ailment, disease, illness
• 結 - knot, tie; to connect, to join