梭

suō

夋 + 木

Definitions

suō (noun) shuttle (textiles)

suō (verb) to move back and forth

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 夋 represents the sound.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 夋

About

梭 is a phonosemantic compound: the 木 (wood) radical indicates a wooden object, while 夋 gives the sound. The character originally referred to a weaver's shuttle, the tool that darts back and forth carrying the weft thread between the warp threads. This rapid, repetitive motion led to a broader sense of any swift back-and-forth movement, and today 梭 describes vehicles, people, or objects that move rapidly to and fro in a particular area.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

奶奶用梭子织毛衣。

Nǎinai yòng suōzi zhī máoyī.

Grandma uses a shuttle to knit a sweater.

他在人群中穿梭。

Tā zài rénqún zhōng chuānsuō.

He shuttles through the crowd.

蜜蜂在花丛中穿梭。

Mìfēng zài huācóng zhōng chuānsuō.

Bees shuttle among the flowers.

梭鱼是一种凶猛的鱼。

Suōyú shì yī zhǒng xiōngměng de yú.

Barracuda is a fierce fish.

地铁在城市地下穿梭。

Dìtiě zài chéngshì dìxià chuānsuō.

The subway shuttles under the city.

子弹像梭子一样飞过。

Zǐdàn xiàng suōzi yīyàng fēi guò.

The bullet flies like a shuttle.

织布工人熟练地操纵梭子来回穿梭。

Zhībù gōngrén shúliàn de cāozòng suōzi láihuí chuānsuō.

The weaver skillfully manipulates the shuttle to go back and forth.

在古老的纺织机上，梭子快速地穿梭于经纬线之间。

Zài gǔlǎo de fǎngzhījī shàng, suōzi kuàisù de chuānsuō yú jīngwěixiàn zhī jiān.

On the ancient loom, the shuttle quickly shuttles between the warp and weft.

Related Characters

Component: 夋

Component: 木

梭