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武器库 (wǔ qì kù) — arsenal, armory

Definition

noun
arsenalarmory
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 武器库。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de wǔ qì kù hěn dà.
    This country's arsenal is very large.
  • 武器库。
    Tā men dǎ kāi le wǔ qì kù de dà mén.
    They opened the gate of the armory.
  • 武器库。
    wǔ qì kù Lǐ yǒu hěn duō qiāng.
    There are many guns in the arsenal.

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.

武器weapon
武wǔmartial器qìinstrument
偏正Modifier + head
库kùstorehouse

武 means martial, 器 means instrument, and 库 means storehouse, giving a storehouse for weapons.

Characters in this word

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

武 puts 戈 (dagger-axe) above 止 (foot/to walk), showing an army going on an expedition.

Open 武 →

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.

Open 器 →

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 庫; 库 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
广广guǎngbuilding
Sound part声符shēngfú
車
車jū庫kù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 庫 pairs 广 (building) with 車 (sound); the building part points to a storehouse. The simplified 库 is a later shorthand.

Open 库 →
Appears in
Buildings & StructuresMilitary & Defense

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