About
The traditional character "鐵" for iron is structured with the metal radical "金" on the left and a phonetic component on the right, which historically provided a pronunciation guide, while the simplified form "铁" replaces this right-hand element with "失", also serving a phonetic function. Etymologically, the character has always been associated with the metal iron, and both forms retain the metal radical to categorize this meaning. Over time, the semantic range of the character expanded from strictly denoting the metallic element to encompassing derived attributes such as hardness or resoluteness within compound terms.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这扇铁门很重。
这条铁路通向北方。
工人们正在铺设新的铁轨。
他有一个铁制的文具盒。
他的意志像钢铁一样坚强。
在铁器时代，人类学会了冶铁。
这份合同是双方合作的铁证。
铁元素是人体必需的微量元素之一。