武 (wǔ) — (bound form) military, martial; surname Wu

Definition

Bound form meaning 'military, martial' — almost never used alone; appears in compounds like 武器 (weapons), 武术 (martial arts). Also a common surname (see example).

bound form

militarymartialsurname Wu

Examples

武。
Tā xìng wǔ.
His surname is Wu.
。
Tā cóng xiǎo xué xí wǔ shù.
He has studied martial arts since childhood.
。
Zhè ge guó jiā yǒu xiān jìn de wǔ qì.
This country has advanced weapons.

Origin

Compound ideograph

六书liùshū

会意huìyì

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

戈戈gēdagger-axe
止止zhǐfoot; to walk; to stop

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

Appears in

Military & Defense

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.