剑道 (jiàn dào) — (noun) kendo (the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship); (noun) swordsmanship (generally)

Definition

剑道 (jiàndào) is the standard Chinese name for Japanese kendo — a modern martial art of bamboo-sword fencing with deep ties to samurai tradition. Outside Japan it usually means this specific art; a Chinese reader would say 剑术 for native swordsmanship.

noun
kendo (the Japanese martial art of swordsmanship)swordsmanship (generally)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 剑道。
    Tā liàn xí jiàn dào yǐ jīng shí nián le.
    He has been practicing kendo for ten years.
  • ，剑道，。
    Zài rì běn, jiàn dào bù jǐn shì yì zhǒng yùn dòng, yě shì yì zhǒng jīng shén xiū yǎng.
    In Japan, kendo is not only a sport but also a form of spiritual cultivation.
  • 剑道。
    Zhè běn shū jiè shào le gǔ dài rì běn de jiàn dào jì qiǎo.
    This book introduces ancient Japanese swordsmanship techniques.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

剑jiànsword
道dàoway

'剑' names the sword and '道' names the way, giving the way of swordsmanship.

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.

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 →

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

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