刺中 (cì zhòng) — to hit (a target) with a stabbing or piercing motion; to pierce accurately

Definition

verb
to hit (a target) with a stabbing or piercing motionto pierce accurately

Examples

  • 刺中
    Tā yòng dāo cì zhòng le dòng wù.
    He stabbed the animal accurately.
  • 刺中
    Nà yí jiàn cì zhòng le mù biāo.
    That arrow hit the target.
  • 刺中
    Tā cì dé hěn zhǔn, yí xià jiù cì zhòng le.
    He stabbed very accurately and hit it at once.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

刺 means stab and 中 means hit; the result is stabbing and hitting the target.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Written in full asdāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

刺 pairs 刂 (knife) with 朿, which gives the sound; the knife part fits actions like stabbing or pricking.

Open 刺 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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