Definition
五金 literally means 'five metals' (gold, silver, copper, iron, tin) and originated from China's classification of precious/base metals. In everyday modern usage it broadly refers to metal materials and hardware fittings (like nails, tools, locks). You'll commonly see it in 五金店 (hardware store) and when discussing metal recycling or construction supplies.
n.
(traditional) the five metals: goldsilvercopperironand tinmetal materialshardware (fittings, tools)
Examples
- ，五金、、、、。Chuántǒng shàng, wǔ jīn zhǐ de shì jīn, yín, tóng, tiě, xī zhè wǔ zhǒng jīnshǔ.Traditionally, 'wujin' refers to these five metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin.
- 。Wǒ xūyào qù wǔ jīn diàn mǎi yìxiē gōngjù.I need to go to the hardware store to buy some tools.
- 五金。Huíshōu wǔ jīn kěyǐ jiéyuē zīyuán.Recycling metals can save resources.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.