The Chinese Radical: 弓




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Meaning
bow    弓

Explanation

Used in these characters:
HSK 2
prefix for making an order/ranking (first, second, etc)

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: bow 弓 and feathered arrow λ (Variation of younger brother 弟)
With a bamboo (stick) I show my younger brother 弟 the correct order. (= his rank)  
HSK 2
younger brother, I (modest word in letter)

From top: to come out 丷, bow 弓, and an arrow λ
A feathered arrow comes from the bow of my younger brother.  
HSK 3
stretch, expand, classifier for flat objects(=sheets)
zhāng
Left: bow 弓, right: long 长/長 (Long mane in the wind of a galloping horse)
The bow is long and stretched and can lie flat.  
HSK 4
to pull, to draw (e.g. a bow), to stretch sth
yǐn
Bow 弓 with a string丨
The string of the bow is pulled.  
HSK 4
bullet, shot, pluck (a string instrument), pellet, elastic
dàn, tán
Left: bow 弓, right: sole, single 单 (It shines 丷 the sun 日 in a group of ten 十 [with nine planets including Pluto] as the single one.)
The bow "singles" [=making it single] the bullet at the shot.  
HSK 5
Buddha, Buddhism
fó, fú
Left: person 亻, right: deny, negation 弗 (A bow 弓 with two strings || is to be denied.)
A person of denial (of needs) is the (godlike) buddha.  
HSK 5
bend, to stoop, crooked
wān
Top: also, namely 亦 (To see this variation 亦 as red 赤, you can also do.) [red 赤: When earth (clay) 土 is burned 灬, the pottery becomes red 赤], below: bow 弓
(Your head) becomes reddish, when you are like a bow, during: stooping.  
HSK 5
to rise (prices, rivers), to swell, distend
zhǎng, zhàng
Left: water 氵, right: stretch 张 (The bow 弓 is long 长/長 and stretched.)
Wenn the water 'stretches' it rises.  
HSK 5
weak, feeble, young, inferior
ruò
Twice a bow 弓 with ice 冫
Bows with ice on them are too weak.  
HSK 5
strong, stubborn, vigorous
qiáng
Left: bow 弓, right : although 虽 (In the mouth 口 an insect 虫? Okay, although, ..)
If it can draw a bow with the mouth, this insect must be strong and stubborn.  
HSK 6
to fill, overflowing, brimming, completely

Left: bow 弓, right: thus/therefore 尔 (A lying person appears small 小, that therefore thus.) [lying person as variant of: 人]
Take your bow, lie down to become small and (due to hunting success your stomach) will fill.  
HSK 6
border, boundary
jiāng
Left: bow 弓 and earth 土, right: 畺 (Three 三 border lines between fields 田)
With a bow I guard the earth at the border lines: of the border.  
HSK 6
bay, gulf, to cast anchor
wān
Left: water 氵, right: to bend 弯 ([The head] becomes reddish 亦/赤, when you are like a bow 弓 when stooping.
Water is reddish in that 'bow', which is: a bay.  
HSK 6
chord, string (of bow / musical instrument), hypotenuse
xián
Left: bow 弓, right: mysterious 玄 (part of magnet: 磁, where an upper bracket 艹 holds threads 玄 with hanging stones 石 that are mysterious)
(As it withstood high forces, the bowstring was high-tech) The bow has a mysterious string.  
HSK 6
oneself, personally, to bow
gōng
Left: body 身 (side view of a body), right: bow 弓
A body that bows, shows: himself, his personality.  
HSK 6
congee, gruel, porridge
zhōu
Outside: each bows 弓, inside: rice 米
Use "bowed" (= mashed) rice, to make congee (= rice porridge)  
no HSK
a bow (weapon)
gōng

Pictograph: bow without string.  
no HSK
not, negation, denial


A bow 弓 with two strings || is to be denied.  
no HSK
arc

Left: bow 弓, right: melon 瓜 (Image of a melon hanging from a frame.)
The bow and melon have the form of an arc.  
no HSK
to drown, to indulge, addicted to, to spoil (a child)
nì, niào
Left: water 氵, right: weak 弱 (Two bows 弓 with ice 冫are too weak.)
If you are in the water and get weak, you will drown.  
no HSK
loosen, unstring a bow, slacken, relax
chí
Left: bow 弓, right: also/too 也 (shows a bent twisting like: snake, scorpion)
The bow (= its string) becomes a 'bent creature', when it is loosened.  
no HSK
cross-bow

Top: slave 奴 (Women's 女 hands 又 work like slaves), bottom: bow 弓
It serves like a slave. This bow is the cross-bow.  
no HSK
domed roof, dome, vaulted
qióng
Top: hole, cavity 穴 (It is covered 宀 and a narrowing path 八 leads into the cave), below: bow 弓
With a cavity that is arched (like a bow): a domed/vaulted roof.  
no HSK
enrich, enlarge, liberal, great
hóng
Left: bow 弓, right: nose 厶
A bent nose has sb., with plans for enriching and enlarging.  
no HSK
barbarians, non-Han people, to wipe out

Combination of big大 and bow 弓
(Think of the Mongols:) They have big bows: The barbarians.  
no HSK
assist

Left and rights: bows 弓, middle: hundred 百 (Tilt your head to the right and read '100'.)
Bows in the hundreds are assisting us.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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