矰

zēng

曾 + 矢

Definitions

zēng arrow with a streamer

Etymology

About

The character 矰 combines the arrow radical 矢 with the phonetic component 曾. It names a short arrow fitted with a silk thread along its shaft, a design that enabled hunters to shoot birds and then retrieve the game by pulling the string. The radical signals its category of projectiles and archery equipment, while the phonetic 曾 provides the pronunciation and reflects a highly specialized hunting vocabulary where distinct characters were created for different arrow types based on their function and construction.