手杖 (shǒu zhàng) — walking stick; cane | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

walking stickcane

Measure word · 把

Examples

。
Yé ye měi tiān dōu dài zhuó shǒu zhàng sàn bù.
Grandpa goes for a walk with his walking stick every day.
手杖。
Zhè gēn shǒu zhàng shì wǒ yé ye qīn shǒu zuò de.
This walking stick was hand-made by my grandpa.
，。
Tā mǎi le yì gēn xīn shǒu zhàng, gǎn jué hěn qīng biàn.
He bought a new walking stick — it feels very light.

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.

The 手 (hand) tells where it is held, while 杖 names the stick or cane.

Characters in this word

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

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

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

木丈杖

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丈

丈zhàng杖zhàng

Same sound today

杖 is built from 木, the wood part, plus 丈, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Injury & Disability Everyday Objects

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