箭 (jiàn) — arrow | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

arrow

Measure word · 支

Easily confused

箭。
Tā shè chū le yì zhī jiàn.
He shot an arrow.
箭。
Gǔ dài wǔ shì jīng cháng dài zhe gōng hé jiàn.
Ancient warriors often carried bows and arrows.
箭。
Zhè zhī jiàn shì yòng zhú zi zuò de.
This arrow is made of bamboo.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

竹前箭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

竹竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

前

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 竹 part points to bamboo, the material of arrows; the 前 part gives the sound.

Appears in