Definitions

shuò long lance

Etymology phono-semantic

wood

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

(shuò) is a phono-semantic compound designating a long spear or lance used mainly by cavalry in ancient China. Its structure combines the bottom radical (mù) 'wood', pointing to the shaft's material, with the phonetic component (shuò) above. Some historical texts record a variant using the bamboo radical, reflecting occasional bamboo shafts, but the standard form settled on wood. The character denotes a heavy polearm with a long blade, and it appears frequently in classical military writings and accounts of mounted combat.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern