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刀枪 (dāo qiāng) — sword and spear (as a pair of traditional weapons); weapons (in general)

Definition

Literally 'swords and spears' — a fixed pair referring to weapons in general, and the standard short form in set phrases like 刀枪不入 ('invulnerable to blades').

noun
sword and spear (as a pair of traditional weapons)weapons (in general)

Examples

  • 刀枪。
    Gǔ dài shì bīng shǐ yòng dāo qiāng zuò zhàn.
    Ancient soldiers used swords and spears to fight.
  • 刀枪。
    Zhè xiē dāo qiāng bèi shōu cáng zài bó wù guǎn lǐ.
    These weapons are collected in the museum.
  • 。
    Tā liàn chéng le dāo qiāng bú rù de gōng fu.
    He has mastered kung fu that makes him invulnerable to swords and spears.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

刀dāosword
枪qiāngspear

刀 and 枪 are two kinds of weapons, and together they stand for weapons.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 刀 comes from a simple picture of a knife.

Open 刀 →

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 槍; 枪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng槍qiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 槍 pairs 木 (wood) with 倉 as a sound part; the simplified 枪 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical component.

Open 枪 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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