杠子 (gàng zi) — thick stick; stout carrying pole; (sports) bar (barbell, pull-up bar, etc.); thick underline (in printed text)

Definition

A thick stick or rod — used for a carrying pole, a weightlifting/pull-up bar, or the thick underline drawn under text. Concrete, physical object across all three senses.

noun
thick stickstout carrying pole(sports) bar (barbell, pull-up bar, etc.)thick underline (in printed text)
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 杠子。
    Zhè wèi nóng mín yòng gàng zi tiāo zhe liǎng kuāng shuǐ guǒ.
    This farmer used a carrying pole to carry two baskets of fruit.
  • 杠子，。
    Jiàn shēn fáng lǐ yǒu hěn duō gàng zi, cóng qīng dào zhòng dōu yǒu.
    There are many barbells in the gym, ranging from light to heavy.
  • 杠子。
    Lǎo shī zài zhòng yào jù zi xià miàn huà le gàng zi.
    The teacher drew a thick underline under important sentences.

Origin

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.

杠gàngpole
子zǐending

杠 denotes a pole or bar, and 子 gives it a familiar object sense.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng杠gàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

杠 has 木 (tree) on the left and 工 on the right. The 木 part is about wood, and 工 gives the sound.

Open 杠 →

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.

Open 子 →

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