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bow (weapon)

gōng
3 strokes · 弓 — pictograph: a bow, seen from the side · HSK 3

Where 弓 comes from

The curved body of a bow drawn in three strokes, string unstrung. It is the radical in 张 (to draw open, now the commonest surname in some regions), 强 (strong), 弹 (to shoot, to bounce) and 引 (to pull) — a bow with the string marked as a straight line beside it.

弓 in Chinese culture

惊弓之鸟 — 'a bird startled by the bow' — describes someone so badly frightened before that the mere sound of a bowstring makes them fall. 左右开弓, drawing the bow with either hand, means doing two things at once, well.

Example

弓箭 gōngjiàn — bow and arrow

他会用弓箭。
Tā huì yòng gōngjiàn.
He knows how to use a bow and arrow.

How to remember it

The curved frame of a BOW, waiting for its string.

引 (to pull, to lead) is a bow 弓 with the drawn string beside it — the picture of pulling something toward you.

Same sound, different tones

1st gōng
bow
4th gòng
together; common

Words unlocked by 弓

弓箭 gōngjiàn
bow and arrow
弯弓 wāngōng
to draw a bow

Related characters

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