剑 jiàn sword
sword; dagger; saber; double-edged sword
How to remember 剑: 佥 conference + 刂 knife = sword. At the collectors' conference a boy points at a rusty knife and asks the expert "Is that a sword?"
Component breakdown
剑 = 佥 conference + 刂 knife
- 佥 conference
- 刂 knife
At the collectors' conference a boy points at a rusty knife and asks the expert "Is that a sword?"
How it is used
- The classic straight, double-edged sword - 一把剑 (yì bǎ jiàn) a sword; 宝剑 (bǎojiàn) a treasured sword.
- Distinguish from 刀 (dāo, single-edged knife/saber): 剑 is the slender fencing blade, 刀 the broad chopping blade.
- Mostly literary/historical or in idioms like 刻舟求剑 (kèzhōu-qiújiàn) foolishly clinging to a fixed method.