弩弓 (nǔ gōng) — crossbow | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

crossbow

Measure word · 张

Examples

弩弓。
Tā zài bó wù guǎn lǐ kàn dào le yì bǎ gǔ dài de nǔ gōng.
He saw an ancient crossbow in the museum.
弩弓。
Zhè zhǒng nǔ gōng de shè chéng hěn yuǎn.
This type of crossbow has a very long range.
弩弓。
Liè rén yòng nǔ gōng lái bǔ liè dà xíng dòng wù.
Hunters use crossbows to hunt large animals.

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.

弩nǔcrossbow

弩 names a crossbow and 弓 names a bow, so the name is a crossbow-type 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.

奴弓弩

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

奴

奴nú弩nǔ

Same sound today

弩 pairs 弓 (bow) with 奴, which gives the sound.

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

The shape of 弓 is a picture of a bow.

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