About
The character 弩, meaning crossbow, is a semantic-phonetic compound whose traditional form remains unchanged and clearly illustrates its function. It is composed of the phonetic component 奴 (nú), which itself depicts a woman in distress and suggests subservience, combined with the radical 弓 (gōng), meaning bow. This structure implies a bow-like weapon that is operated by a mechanism, requiring less individual skill than a standard bow and historically often wielded by conscripted troops. Over time, the term's meaning has remained narrowly and technically focused on the specific weapon itself, without broadening into a more general category, maintaining its direct association with this particular military technology from its ancient inception through its historical use.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这是一把弩。
他买了一把新弩。
弩箭射中了目标。
士兵用弩防守城墙。
这把弩的威力很大。
古代战争中弩很重要。
他熟练地操作弩弓。
弩的结构比弓复杂。