捐

The Chinese character 捐 (juān) is composed of two parts: the radical 殳 (shū), which represents a weapon or tool, and the phonetic component 屯 (tún), which represents a mound or hill. The original meaning of 捐 was "to raise a weapon," but over time it came to be used in a more general sense of "to give" or "to donate."The character 捐 is first attested in the oracle bone script, which dates back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). In the oracle bone script, 捐 is depicted as a hand holding a weapon, which is consistent with its original meaning of "to raise a weapon."The character 捐 has also been used in a number of Chinese idioms and proverbs. For example, the idiom 捐躯报国 (juān qū bào guó) means "to sacrifice one's life for one's country," while the proverb 捐小义成大义 (juān xiǎo yì chéng dà yì) means "to give up a small benefit for a greater good."In modern Chinese, 捐 is commonly used in the sense of "to donate" or "to contribute." For example, the phrase 捐款 (juān kuǎn) means "to donate money," while the phrase 捐献 (juān xiàn) means "to donate blood."The character 捐 is a versatile character with a rich history. It is a valuable addition to any HSK learner's vocabulary.