The Chinese Radical: 竹




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Meaning
bamboo    竹

Explanation

Used in these characters:
HSK 2
laugh, smile
xiào
Top: bamboo 竹, below: early death 夭 (here seen as heaven 天)
Bamboo that grows up to heaven? This is to laugh!  
HSK 2
class, rank, grade, equal to
děng
Top: bamboo 竹, below: temple 寺 (= Made of earth 土 and built with skillful hands 寸)
Put the bamboo 竹 (= the sprouts) into the earth 土 and (take care of them) with a skillful hand 寸, and (the growth) will be in the same way/class.  
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
pencil, pen, writing brush

Top: bamboo 竹, below: hair 毛
Made of bamboo and at the end a tuft of hair: the brush or pencil.  
HSK 2
basket, goal
lán
Top: bamboo 竹, below: supervise 监 (For the cut bamboo 监[= knife刂 & half of bamboo 竹] is a bowl 皿 for its supervision)
Bamboo, that is supervised (= brought into shape) serves as a basket.  
HSK 3
to answer, reply, respond
dā, dá
at Top bamboo 竹, below: fit/match 合 (The lid on the pot 口)
Under the bamboo, you get fitting answer.  
HSK 3
simple, uncomplicated, letter (=formerly bamboo strips)
jiǎn
Top: bamboo 竹, below: gap/space 间/間 (The sun 日 shines though the gate 门/門 due to a gap.)
(With a fence, it is time-consuming to cut the elements to fit precisely and without gaps). If you build bamboo on a gap (= with spaces in between), you make it very simple.  
HSK 3
to calculate, to compute, regard as, to figure
suàn
From top: bamboo 竹, the image of an abacus 目 [= counting board], and two hands 廾 (twice this hand 屮 with the fingers 山 towards the top; simplified & combined)
I use the bamboo abacus with both hands to calculate.  
HSK 3
box, trunk, chest
xiāng
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: mutually 相 (tree 木, eye 目 [here: image of a box])
It's made of bamboo or wood and looks like a box 目. It is: a box.  
HSK 3
chopstick
kuài
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: rapid, quick 快 (It becomes easier to carry your load: The feeling 忄 of the person 人 with the backpack コ is that he is quick and rapid)
From bamboo you can quickly make chopsticks.  
HSK 4
classifier for written items, sheet or paper
piān
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: flat 扁 (Sliding doors 戸 and writing tablets 冊 are flat.)
When bamboo is flat (like a door plate), it is used for writing texts.  
HSK 4
mark, sign, talisman, to seal, to correspond to

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: pay/hand over 付 (from a person 人 to a skillful hand 寸)
(When cut in small tablets:) Bamboo can be handed over, as a sign or talisman.  
HSK 4
signature, note, label, tag
qiān
Top: bamboo 竹, below: together 佥 (A person 人 as one 一 is with three ツ together.)
Bamboo strips were set together for making a label, that was signed.  
HSK 4
registry, book or record, membership, nationality

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: 耤 (a tree 耒 used as a tally stick with many notches 丰, cut into to count things, right: old days 昔
Bamboo or tally sticks were in old days used as a registry.  
HSK 4
tube, pipe, conduit, control, to care about
guǎn
Top: bamboo 竹, below: government 官 (Under one roof 宀 with connected ノ rooms 吕) (Here: see 官 as two tubes in cross-section in a covered conduit)
Made of bamboo, the tubes are in the conduit.  
HSK 4
stupid, clumsy, foolish, silly
bèn
Top: bamboo 竹, below: root, origin 本 (The tree 木 comes out of the roots 一 as origin and becomes a book.)
(Since they are so branched and unremovable:) Whoever thinks that the bamboo's roots can be removed is: stupid.  
HSK 5
bamboo
zhú

The image of young bamboo shoots  
HSK 5
to build, to construct, Zhú = five-string lute
zhù, zhú
Above: bamboo 竹, below: 巩 (work 工, ordinary 凡 [A table 机/几 with a scratch 丶 is common.])
With bamboo and labor the scratched table was built.  
HSK 5
just before doing sth., to face sth, approach
lín
Left: knife, to cut刂, right: half of bamboo 竹, two mouths 口
He divided the bamboo with the knife. This he did just before giving it to the two mouths.  
HSK 6
plan, strategy, policy, scheme, to whip or urge

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: thorn 朿 (originally: tree 木 and pointed triangle; cf. thorn 刺)
A bamboo thorn is part of the policy plan.  
HSK 6
steam basket for dimsum 点心, cage
lóng
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: dragon 龙 (The outstanding 丶 person 尢/尤 has a broken leg 乚 with a winding dragon ノ)
Made of bamboo and the fire dragon (=steam) comes through: The steam basket.  
HSK 6
arrow
jiàn
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: front 前 (Where from the sheep's 羊 head, meat 月/肉 is cut刂, is the front.)
It's made of bamboo and it's the front end, which counts: the arrow.  
HSK 6
tube, cylinder
tǒng
Top: bamboo 竹, below: same, similar 同 (All container 冂 have only one 一 opening 口 and it is the same, similar)
Bamboo is the similar to a tube.  
HSK 6
muscle, tendon
jīn
Top: bamboo 竹, below: ribs 肋 (= The body's part 月/肉 that resists with force 力 (against pressure) are the ribs.)
They are like bamboo('s fiber) are the body gets its strength by the: muscles and tendons.  
HSK 6
chip (gambling), token, ticket, to prepare
chóu
寿
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: long life 寿 (two skillful hands 手 & 寸 are needed for Sushi 寿司 and you will have a long life.)
Made of bamboo by two skillful hands: This token. - OR: Made of bamboo and to gamble a 'long life': This token.  
HSK 6
sail, cloak, canopy, awning
péng
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: encounter: 逢 (The movements of a bee 蜂 [= from blossom to blossom] mean: to encounter.)
The single fibers of the bamboo are encountering, when they are (woven) into a sail.  
HSK 6
sieve, filter, to sift, screening (medicine)
shāi
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: master, teacher 师 (He has a knife 刂, a stick 一 and good cloth 巾)
Bamboo 竹 was cut 刂 for it and the sieve 一 is made of cloth 巾: a sieve.  
HSK 6
basket
kuāng
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: rectify 匡 (The country 国 of the king 王 is not complete, which must be rectified.)
The bamboo needs to be rectified (= to be bent) to plait a basket.  
HSK 6
to winnow, dust pan, toss (as waves)
bǒ, bò
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: 其 (image of a grain shovel/scoop (tool for threshing), skin 皮 (A hand 又 with a knife 丨 peels off the skin 厂)
Made of bamboo is the grain shovel for separating the "skins" (of the grain) when winnowing.  
簿
no HSK
accounting, book keeping, register

Top: bamboo 竹, below: extensive, widespread 溥 (The water 氵 must be just now 甫 with a skillful had 寸 extensive)
Bamboo and water are needed just now and skillful hands: in accounting.  
no HSK
bunch, crowded, gathered, gather foliage

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: clan, nationality 族 (It moves in one direction 方 and has lying people or moving as fast as an arrow 矢: the clan)
The bamboo forms a 'clan', when gathered as a bunch.  
竿
no HSK
pole, mast, stick/club
gān
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: dry 干 (laundry rack)
When bamboo becomes a laundry rack, you use it as a pole.  
no HSK
a fence, hedge

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: to part from 离 (Use the trash 㐫 can for the scorpion 禺 [you see 禸 =hint legs 冂 and the sting 厶], so that it "leaves" us.)
Use bamboo to avoid a "leaving" by building a: fence.  
no HSK
flute

Top: bamboo 竹, below: reason 由 (.. for the field with a sprouting plant), here: 由 as a flute | with hands E ヨ at the sides.
Bamboo is used for this flute.  
no HSK
sincere, true, serious (illness)

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: horse 马/馬
(The strength of) bamboo and horses are upright/sincere.  
no HSK
to bite, to devour
shì
Left: mouth 口, right: 筮 (bamboo 竹, witch 巫 [She's doing the work 工 of two persons 从], here: variant of: squeeze in 夹)
The mouth, in which bamboo is squeezed in: is biting.  
no HSK
broad bamboo rain hat

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: to stand 立
Under this 'bamboo' you can stand, if it is: a hat.  
no HSK
reed of woodwind instrument, spring of lock
huáng
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: yellow 黄 (Together 共 the field 田 turn [in fall]: yellow.)
Bamboo that is yellow is suitable as: Reed or as a spring.  
no HSK
Guzheng (=long zither with 13 to 16 strings)
zhēng
Top: bamboo 竹, below: dispute 争 (The bent person ⺈ with a stick 亅 in hand looking for dispute.)
Made of bamboo and sounds like a dispute, the: Guzheng.  
no HSK
India 天竺 (esp. in Tang or Buddhist context)
zhú
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: two 二
Bamboo for two in Indian Buddhism.  
no HSK
bamboo shoot
sǔn
Top: bamboo 竹, below: 尹 (hand with a stick but here: with a seedling that is planted)
Bamboo is planted by hand with seedlings to become a sprout.  
no HSK
a braiding article made of bamboo strips, fence

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: to hope 巴 (Behind the doorknob 巴 you may hope.)
Bamboo hopes that it is made to a braiding article.  
no HSK
Xiāo, Chinese long-flute
xiāo
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: respectful, solemn 肃
Made of bamboo is the flute 丨 in the hand with four holes 灬, the: Xiāo.  
no HSK
trunks (for books)

Left: bamboo 竹, right: to reach 及 (A hand stretched out to reach something 丿)
The bamboo has reached sth. if it became a trunk (for books).  
no HSK
comment, letter, note, note-paper
jiān
Top: bamboo 竹, below: 戋 (two 二 halberds 戈)
Made of bamboo and cut with a halberd into two (note-) papers for the comments.  
no HSK
hoop, to bind with hoops, to tie around

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: hand 扌, 匝 (enclosure 匚, cloth 巾)
Take bamboo (bent as a ring) and by hand make a cover of cloth to get a hoop.  
no HSK
raft (of logs)

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: to cut down, fell 伐 (The person 亻with the halberd 戈 is cutting down.)
The bamboo should be cut down to make a: raft.  
no HSK
bamboo mat for sitting (old expression)
yán
Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: spread, extend 延 (This movement 廴 is correct 正 for: spreading or extending.)
Made of bamboo to spread out on: the sitting mat.  
no HSK
reed mouth organ with various flutes
shēng
Top: bamboo 竹, below: life 生 (The twig ノ at the growing plant stands for the life.)
Bamboo gets lifely as a mouth organ.  
no HSK
very slight sound, rustling (onom.), tears streaming down

Top: bamboo 竹, bottom: 欶 (bundle 束, to lack 欠)
The bamboo is bundled with gaps (= lacks) in between, which causes slight rustling sounds.  

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

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