段

duàn

⑤ + 殳

HSK 2.0Level 3

HSK 3.0Level 3

Definitions

duàn (noun) section; segment

duàn (noun) stage; phase; period

duàn (noun) paragraph

Etymology

Pictograph of a hand holding a forging hammer (殳) and hitting a stone (石). Based on the original meaning "forge", now written as 鍛. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

About

The character 段 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 殳 (shū, a weapon or striking action) on the right and a phonetic component on the left. The striking radical connects to its original meaning of forging, pounding, or breaking something apart. From this sense of fragmentation, the character evolved to mean a section, segment, or distinct phase within a larger whole. Today, it commonly serves as a measure word for lengths of objects, periods of time, and divisions in written texts.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这一段路很长。

Zhè yī duàn lù hěn cháng.

This stretch of road is very long.

请听我讲完这一段话。

Qǐng tīng wǒ jiǎng wán zhè yī duàn huà.

Please listen to me finish this part of my speech.

文章的段落要清晰。

Wénzhāng de duànluò yào qīngxī.

The paragraphs of an article should be clear.

他的人生经历分为三个阶段。

Tā de rénshēng jīnglì fēn wéi sān gè jiēduàn.

His life experience is divided into three stages.

我们需要分析事件的每一个片段。

Wǒmen xūyào fēnxī shìjiàn de měi yī gè piànduàn.

We need to analyze every fragment of the incident.

这个地段是商业中心。

Zhège dìduàn shì shāngyè zhōngxīn.

This area is the commercial center.

工程师把任务分段完成。

Gōngchéngshī bǎ rènwù fēnduàn wánchéng.

The engineer completed the task in segments.

这段历史时期充满了变革。

Zhè duàn lìshǐ shíqī chōngmǎn le biàngé.

This historical period was full of transformations.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: ⑤

Component: 殳

段