箭

Étymologie et composants

The Chinese character 箭 (jiàn) for "arrow" is composed of two parts: the radical 弓 (gōng) for "bow" on the left, and the phonetic component 欠 (qiàn) on the right. The radical 弓 indicates that the character is related to archery, while the phonetic component 欠 provides a clue to its pronunciation.The character 欠 originally meant "to owe" or "to lack", and it is still used in this sense today. However, in the context of the character 箭, it is used as a phonetic component to indicate the pronunciation of the character. The combination of the radical 弓 and the phonetic component 欠 creates the character 箭, which means "arrow".The character 箭 has been used in Chinese for thousands of years, and it has a rich history and cultural significance. In ancient China, arrows were an important weapon for hunting and warfare, and they were often used in rituals and ceremonies. The character 箭 is also used in Chinese idioms and proverbs, such as 一箭双雕 (yī jiàn shuāng diāo), which means "to kill two birds with one stone".Overall, the character 箭 is a complex and interesting character with a rich history and cultural significance. Its structure and etymology provide insights into the development of the Chinese language and its writing system.