铲

剷/鏟

chǎn

产 + 钅

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

chǎn (verb) to shovel; to dig

chǎn (noun) spade; shovel

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 产 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鏟.

Semantic: 钅 Phonetic: 产

About

铲 is the simplified version of the traditional character 鏟, a phono-semantic compound. The left-side radical 钅 (a simplification of 金 'metal') provides the semantic clue, indicating a metal tool or implement. On the right, the component 产 (simplified from 產) serves as the phonetic element, while also contributing a secondary sense of production or generation. Over time, the character's core meanings have been shovel, spade, and the action of shoveling. In modern usage, it has broadened to denote various scraping tools and earth-moving machinery, such as bulldozers. The structural combination thus links a metal object with a sound that hints at its name and purpose.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

爸爸用铲子铲雪。

Bàba yòng chǎnzi chǎn xuě.

Dad uses a shovel to shovel snow.

工人铲除了地上的垃圾。

Gōngrén chǎnchúle dìshàng de lājī.

The worker cleared away the garbage on the ground.

园丁用铲子挖坑种树。

Yuándīng yòng chǎnzi wā kēng zhòng shù.

The gardener uses a shovel to dig a hole and plant a tree.

政府决心铲除腐败。

Zhèngfǔ juéxīn chǎnchú fǔbài.

The government is determined to eradicate corruption.

他用铁铲铲平了院子里的土堆。

Tā yòng tiě chǎn chǎnpíngle yuànzi lǐ de tǔduī.

He used an iron shovel to level the dirt pile in the yard.

铲车正在工地铲运砂石。

Chǎnchē zhèngzài gōngdì chǎn yùn shāshí.

The forklift is shoveling and transporting sand and gravel at the construction site.

为了种植蔬菜，农民们先用铲子翻土，再铲除杂草。

Wèile zhòngzhí shūcài, nóngmínmen xiān yòng chǎnzi fān tǔ, zài chǎnchú zácǎo.

To grow vegetables, the farmers first use shovels to turn the soil and then remove the weeds.

由于积雪太厚，我们不得不动用铲雪车来铲清道路。

Yóuyú jīxuě tài hòu, wǒmen bùdé bù dòngyòng chǎnxuěchē lái chǎn qīng dàolù.

Because the snow accumulation is too heavy, we have to use a snowplow to clear the roads.

Related Characters

Component: 产

Component: 钅

铲