张 from HSK Level 3 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 张 (zhāng) is composed of two parts: the radical 弓 (gōng), which means "bow," and the phonetic component 张 (zhāng), which is a variant of the character 弓. The original meaning of 张 is "to pull a bow," and it has since extended to mean "to stretch," "to expand," and "to open."The character 张 is first attested in oracle bone script, the earliest known form of Chinese writing. In oracle bone script, 张 is depicted as a person holding a bow and arrow. This image suggests that the original meaning of 张 was "to shoot an arrow."Over time, the form of 张 simplified, and it came to be written as it is today. The radical 弓 is still present in the character, but the phonetic component 张 has been simplified to a single stroke.The character 张 is used in a variety of words and phrases. Some common examples include:- 张弓搭箭 (zhāng gōng dā jiàn): to draw a bow and fit an arrow- 张开 (zhāng kāi): to open- 张望 (zhāng wàng): to look around- 张扬 (zhāng yáng): to publicize- 张三李四 (zhāng sān lǐ sì): Zhang San and Li Si (a common Chinese idiom used to refer to ordinary people)The character 张 is also used as a surname. It is the 14th most common surname in China, with over 100 million people.