佩剑 (pèi jiàn) — (historical or ceremonial) sword worn at the waist; (sport) saber (fencing)

Definition

A compound of 佩 ('wear at the waist') + 剑 ('sword'). In modern usage it most often refers to the saber discipline in fencing; the historical sense of a waist-worn sword is now rare.

noun
(historical or ceremonial) sword worn at the waist(sport) saber (fencing)
Measure word · 把
Easily confused

Examples

  • 佩剑。
    Zhè bǎ pèi jiàn shì jiāng jūn shēn fèn de xiàng zhēng.
    This sword worn at the waist is a symbol of a general's status.
  • 佩剑。
    Tā zài ào yùn huì de pèi jiàn bǐ sài zhōng huò dé le jīn pái.
    He won a gold medal in the saber event at the Olympics.
  • 佩剑。
    Jiào liàn jiāo wǒ rú hé shǐ yòng pèi jiàn.
    The coach taught me how to use the saber.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

佩pèiwear
剑jiànsword

佩 (wear) and 剑 (sword) combine to name a sword worn at the waist or the fencing saber.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

佩 is built from 人 (person) and 巾 (piece of cloth), plus 凡, whose role is unclear. Its original meaning was a large sash.

Open 佩 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 劍; 剑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刂Written in full as刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān劍jiàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 劍 pairs 僉 as the sound part with 刂, a knife sign written as 刀, as the meaning part; the simplified 剑 is a later shorthand.

Open 剑 →

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