Chinese word

箭

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiàn

Meaning

  • nounarrow

Example

孩子在草地上捡到一支箭。hái zi zài cǎo dì shàng jiǎn dào yì zhī jiàn

A child picked up an arrow in the grass.

Illustration for 箭 (arrow)

More examples

古代战士用箭和弓作战。gǔ dài zhàn shì yòng jiàn hé gōng zuò zhàn

Ancient warriors fought with arrows and bows.

Core concept

A narrow pointed object sent forward through the air, or a matching shape that points the way.

Common phrases

  • 射箭shè jiàn

    shoot arrows

  • 箭头jiàn tóu

    arrowhead

  • 中箭zhōng jiàn

    be struck by an arrow

Similar words

箭头jiàn tóu: A symbol that shows direction or movement on a screen, map, or sign.
弓gōng: A curved tool held with a stretched string to launch projectiles.

Definition in Chinese

用于远距离射击或投掷的细长器具，通常有箭头或利刃，现代也可指示方向的箭形符号。yòng yú yuǎn jù lí shè jī huò tóu zhì de xì cháng qì jù tōng cháng yǒu jiàn tóu huò lì rèn xiàn dài yě kě zhǐ shì fāng xiàng de jiàn xíng fú hào

Word origin

箭 (jiàn, "arrow") joins 竹 (zhú, "bamboo") + 前 (qián, "front"); the bamboo component reflects the arrow's early material, while the other component supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • The measure word 支 (zhī, "classifier for long slender objects") also counts pens and candles, so its use with 一支箭 (yī zhī jiàn, "one arrow") follows a shape-based everyday pattern.

Related words

  • 箭头jiàn tóuarrowheadnoun
  • 箭袋jiàn dàiquivernoun

Word lists with this word