桁 (héng) — cangue (a wooden punishment device in ancient China); purlin, beam (in architecture, e.g. 桁架 truss, 桁条 purlin)
Definition
桁 (héng) is a bound form meaning a structural beam or purlin — as in 桁条 (purlin) or 桁架 (truss). The historical 'cangue' sense is now obsolete and won't appear in modern use.
bound form
cangue (a wooden punishment device in ancient China)purlinbeam (in architecture, e.g. 桁架 truss, 桁条 purlin)
Examples
- 桁。Gǔ dài guān fǔ yòng héng lái chéng fá fàn rén.In ancient times, the government used the cangue to punish criminals.
- 桁。Zhè zuò qiáo de jié gòu shǐ yòng le gāng héng jià.The structure of this bridge uses steel trusses.
- 桁。Tā zài jiàn zhù xué zhōng xué dào le shén me shì héng tiáo.In architecture, he learned what a purlin is.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
桁 pairs 木 (wood), marking it as a wooden part, with 行, which points to how it is pronounced.
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