jiàn

double-edged sword

HSK Level 6

Example Sentences

他用剑刺伤了敌人。

Tā yòng jiàn cìshāngle dírén.

He stabbed the enemy with a sword.

宝剑锋从磨砺出,梅花香自苦寒来。

Bǎojiàn fēng cóng mólì chū, méihuā xiāng zì kǔhán lái.

A precious sword is sharpened through磨砺, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold.

他舞剑的姿势非常优美。

Tā wǔjiàn de zīshì fēicháng yōuměi.

His swordsmanship is very beautiful.

Synonyms

(dāo)

knife

(jiàn)

sword

Antonyms

(dāo)

knife

(qiāng)

gun

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Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 剑 (jiàn) for "sword" is composed of two parts: 釒 (qiān) and 刂 (dāo). 釒 is a phonetic component, indicating the pronunciation of the character, while 刂 is a semantic component, indicating the meaning of the character. The character 釒 is derived from the oracle bone script, which depicts a hand holding a knife. The character 刂 is derived from the seal script, which depicts a knife with a sharp blade. The combination of these two components creates the character 剑, which represents a sharp weapon used for cutting or stabbing.