锐器 (ruì qì) — sharp instrument

Definition

A formal term for a 'sharp instrument' — a knife, blade, or other edged tool. In everyday speech, speakers usually name the specific tool (e.g. 刀, 剪刀) rather than this general category.

noun
sharp instrument
Measure word · 把
Easily confused

Examples

  • 锐器。
    Yī shēng yòng ruì qì jìn xíng shǒu shù.
    The doctor performed surgery with a sharp instrument.
  • 锐器。
    Jǐng fāng zài fàn zuì xiàn chǎng fā xiàn le yì bǎ ruì qì.
    The police found a sharp instrument at the crime scene.
  • 锐器，。
    Qǐng xiǎo xīn chǔ lǐ zhè jiàn ruì qì, tā fēi cháng fēng lì.
    Please handle this sharp instrument carefully—it's very sharp.

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.

锐ruìsharp
器qìinstrument

锐 means sharp and 器 means instrument, naming a sharp tool or weapon.

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 銳; 锐 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
釒釒jīngold
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì銳ruì
Same sound today

The traditional form 銳 pairs 釒, a gold sign, with 兌 as the sound part; the simplified 锐 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 锐 →

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 →

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