Chinese word

干戈

Pronunciation

Pinyingān gē

Meaning

  • nounweapons

Example

博物馆里展出古代的干戈。bó wù guǎn lǐ zhǎn chū gǔ dài de gān gē

The museum displays ancient weapons.

Illustration for 干戈 (weapons)

More examples

两国经过调停，最终将干戈化为玉帛。liǎng guó jīng guò tiáo tíng zuì zhōng jiāng gān gē huà wèi yù bó

After mediation, the two countries ultimately turned hostility into peace.

Core concept

Battlefield arms mark the shift from physical weapons to the wider reality of conflict and war.

Common phrases

  • 化干戈为玉帛huà gān gē wéi yù bó

    turn hostility into peace

Similar words

武器wǔ qì: Any tool or device used in combat, whether for attack or defense.
兵器bīng qì: The general set of weapons and military gear used by soldiers in battle.

Definition in Chinese

指兵器，尤指古代使用的长柄武器；也可引申为争斗或战争的局面。zhǐ bīng qì yóu zhǐ gǔ dài shǐ yòng de cháng bǐng wǔ qì yě kě yǐn shēn wèi zhēng dòu huò zhàn zhēng de jú miàn

Word origin

干 (gān, "shield") + 戈 (gē, "dagger-axe") pairs two emblematic ancient weapons, allowing the compound to refer first to arms and then to armed conflict.

Usage tips

  • When 干戈 (gāngē, "weapons") appears in a news headline, essay, or historical account, it usually gives the sentence a formal, compressed tone rather than the plain tone of casual speech.

Other meanings

  • conflictnoun
  • warnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 化干戈为玉帛huà gān gē wéi yù bóturn hostility into peaceidiom

Word lists with this word