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剑术 (jiàn shù) — fencing (sport); swordsmanship, swordplay (martial art)

Definition

Swordsmanship — the skill or art of using a sword, covering both modern Olympic-style fencing (击剑) and traditional Chinese martial sword arts. Refers to the technique and practice itself rather than the sport as a competitive event.

noun
fencing (sport)swordsmanshipswordplay (martial art)

Examples

  • 剑术，。
    Tā xué xí jiàn shù yǐ jīng sān nián le, jìn bù hěn kuài.
    He has been studying fencing for three years and has improved quickly.
  • 剑术。
    Gǔ dài zhōng guó de jiàn shù jiǎng jiu jì qiǎo hé shēn fǎ.
    Ancient Chinese swordsmanship emphasizes technique and body movement.
  • 剑术，。
    Wǒ xiǎng xué jiàn shù, dàn shì xū yào xiān mǎi yì bǎ jiàn.
    I want to learn fencing, but I need to buy a sword first.

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.

剑jiànsword
术shùart/skill

剑 means sword and 术 means art or skill, so the sense is swordsmanship.

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 劍; 剑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刂Written in full as刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān劍jiàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 劍 pairs 僉 as the sound part with 刂, a knife sign written as 刀, as the meaning part; the simplified 剑 is a later shorthand.

Open 剑 →

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 術; 术 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíngstreet, path
Sound part声符shēngfú
朮
朮zhú術shù
Same sound today

The traditional form 術 has 行 (street, path) beside 朮, which gives the sound; the simplified 术 is a later shorthand.

Open 术 →
Appears in
Sports & Athletics

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