扎

The Chinese character 扎 (zhā) is composed of two parts: the radical 扌(shǒu), which indicates an action related to the hand, and the phonetic component 乍 (zhà). The original meaning of 扎 is "to stab" or "to pierce", which can be seen from its oracle bone script, which depicts a hand holding a sharp object. Over time, the meaning of 扎 has expanded to include "to tie", "to bind", "to fasten", and "to insert". For example, the word 扎头发 (zhā fàtou) means "to tie one's hair", and the word 扎根 (zhā gēn) means "to take root".The character 扎 can also be used as a measure word for certain objects, such as bundles or stacks. For example, the word 一扎筷子 (yī zhā kuàizi) means "a bundle of chopsticks".In addition to its literal meanings, 扎 can also be used in a figurative sense. For example, the word 扎实 (zhā shí) means "solid" or "firm", and the word 扎眼 (zhā yǎn) means "eye-catching" or "striking".The character 扎 is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese, and it is an important character for HSK learners to master.