弓 gōng bow
bow; arched; to bend; to arch
How it came to be
A bow seen from the side, the wood curved and the string taken off. The shape has hardly moved in three thousand years: the oldest carving and this page show the same drawing.
How it is used
- A bow (for arrows); anything bow-shaped: 弓箭 (gōngjiàn) bow and arrow, 弯弓 (wān gōng) to draw a bow.
- As a verb, to bend/arch: 弓着腰 (gōngzhe yāo) with one's back bent.
- 惊弓之鸟 (jīnggōngzhīniǎo) = a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow, i.e. someone badly spooked.