钢 (gāng) — to sharpen (a blade) on a steel; to strop; to hone
Definition
钢 (gāng) as a verb means to sharpen a blade by drawing it across steel — a specific tool-care action, not general sharpening. The noun sense 'steel' is a different word.
verb
to sharpen (a blade) on a steelto stropto hone
Easily confused
- 纲gānglook-alikeoutline; summary
- 刚gāngsound-alikejust (a short while ago; indicating an action happened moments before)
- 冈gāngsound-alikemountain ridge (bound form, used in compounds)
- 缸gāngsound-alikejar, vat (large container for liquids or grains)
- 肛gāngsound-alike(bound form) anus; anal
- 杠gāngsound-alike(bound form) bar, stick, rod (as in 杠杆 lever, 双杠 parallel bars, 单杠 horizontal bar)
Examples
- 钢钢。Chú shī zài qiē cài qián xiān bǎ dāo gāng le gāng.The chef steels the knife before cutting vegetables.
- 钢，。Zhè bǎ tì xū dāo hěn jiǔ méi gāng guò, yǐ jīng bú kuài le.This razor hasn't been stropped in a long time; it's already dull.
- 钢，。Nǐ gāng dé zhè me yòng lì, dāo fēng huì shòu sǔn de.If you strop so hard, the blade edge will get damaged.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 鋼; 钢 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
岡
岡gāng鋼gàng
Same sound today
The traditional form 鋼 shows 金, meaning metal, next to 岡, which carries the sound gāng; the simplified 钢 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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