锹 (qiāo) — spade; shovel

Definition

noun
spadeshovel
Measure word · 把
Easily confused

Examples

  • 锹。
    Tā yòng qiāo wā le yí gè kēng.
    He dug a hole with a spade.
  • 锹，。
    Zhè bǎ qiāo hěn zhòng, bú tài hǎo yòng.
    This spade is very heavy and not very easy to use.
  • 锹。
    Gōng rén men ná zhe qiāo zài lù biān gàn huó.
    The workers are working by the roadside with spades.

Origin

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鍬; 锹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
秋
秋qiū鍬qiāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鍬 pairs 金, metal, with 秋 for the sound; the simplified 锹 is a later abbreviation.

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