针 from HSK Level 4 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 针 (zhēn) for "needle" is composed of two parts: 钅 (bì) and 金 (jīn). 钅 is a phonetic component that indicates the pronunciation of the character, while 金 is a semantic component that indicates the meaning of the character. The character 金 originally represented a piece of metal, and it is often used in Chinese characters related to metal objects. In the case of 针, the combination of 钅 and 金 suggests that the character is related to a metal object that is used for piercing or sewing.The earliest known form of the character 针 appears in oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). In these inscriptions, the character is depicted as a long, thin object with a sharp point at one end. This suggests that the character originally represented a type of needle that was used for sewing. Over time, the character 针 came to be used more broadly to refer to any type of needle, including those used for piercing, acupuncture, and other purposes.The character 针 is also used in a number of Chinese idioms and proverbs. For example, the idiom 一针一线 (yī zhēn yī xiàn) means "every stitch and thread," and it is used to describe something that is done with great care and attention to detail. The proverb 针尖对麦芒 (zhēn jiān duì mài máng) means "the point of a needle against a wheat awn," and it is used to describe a situation in which two people are evenly matched and neither one has an advantage.The character 针 is a common character in Chinese, and it is used in a wide variety of contexts. Its etymology provides insight into its original meaning and how it has been used over time.