杆子 (gān zi) — pole, stick, club; a gang of bandits (colloquia…

Definition

A long, thin piece of wood or metal — a pole, rod, or stick. Counted with 根. (The historical 'gang of bandits' sense is rare in modern use.)

noun

polestickcluba gang of bandits (colloquial, historical)

Measure word · 根

杆子。
Tā yòng yì gēn gān zi bǎ chuāng hu chēng kāi le.
He used a pole to prop the window open.
杆子，。
Nà ge cūn zi lǐ céng jīng yǒu yì huǒ gān zi, zhuān mén qiǎng jié lù rén.
That village once had a gang of bandits who specialized in robbing passersby.
杆子。
Tā ná gān zi dǎ shù shàng de guǒ zi.
He used a stick to hit the fruit on the tree.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

杆 supplies the pole-like sense, and 子 completes the everyday object name.

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.

木干杆

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

干

Same sound today

杆 pairs 木 (tree) with 干, which gives the sound. The 木 part shows the thing is made of wood.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Appears in