Chinese word

剑

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiàn

Meaning

  • nounsword

Example

他把剑挂在墙上。tā bǎ jiàn guà zài qiáng shàng

He hung the sword on the wall.

Illustration for 剑 (sword)

More examples

战士在营地仔细地磨剑，准备明天的行动。zhàn shì zài yíng dì zǐ xì dì mó jiàn zhǔn bèi míng tiān de xíng dòng

At the camp, the warrior carefully sharpened his sword in preparation for tomorrow's action.

Core concept

A blade for close fighting that can also represent a warrior's strength and courage.

Common phrases

  • 磨剑mó jiàn

    sharpen a sword

Similar words

刀dāo: A cutting tool or weapon with one sharp edge, used mainly for cutting.
武器wǔ qì: A tool or piece of equipment used for attack or defense.

Definition in Chinese

多为金属制、带柄的长刃武器，用于刺、砍或格斗，在文学和比喩中常象征力量或勇武。duō wèi jīn shǔ zhì dài bǐng de cháng rèn wǔ qì yòng yú cì kǎn huò gé dòu zài wén xué hé bǐ yù zhōng cháng xiàng zhēng lì liàng huò yóng wǔ

Word origin

The traditional form 劍 (jiàn, "sword") was built with 刀 (dāo, "knife") as its weapon-signifying component, while modern 剑 (jiàn, "sword") reduces that component to right-side 刂 (dāo, "knife").

Usage tips

  • The word can sound literary in modern conversation because it is strongly linked with martial stories and symbolic language, even when no real weapon is present.

Related words

  • 剑匠jiàn jiàngswordsmithnoun
  • 剑身jiàn shēnblade of a swordnoun

Word lists with this word