蛇腹

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 蛇腹 is read as じゃばら and is a noun for a pleated bellows structure that expands and contracts like an accordion.
• Basic usage: Use カメラの蛇腹 for the actual camera part and 蛇腹のように伸び縮みする for something that moves in a similar way.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Structural meaning
  • Do not interpret the characters literally as a snake belly; the practical meaning is a sequence of folds that opens and closes.
• Literal part and comparison
  • The camera has an actual bellows, while the passage is compared to one with のように.