弩

nǔ

奴 + 弓

Frequency#3470

Definitions

nǔ crossbow

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 弓 represents the meaning and 奴 represents the sound.

Semantic: 弓 Phonetic: 奴

About

The character "弩", meaning crossbow, is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the semantic component "弓" (gōng), indicating its relation to a bow, and the phonetic component "奴" (nú), which historically provided the sound for the character. This structural combination has remained unchanged, and the character has exclusively denoted the crossbow, a mechanical weapon that emerged as a significant advancement in ancient Chinese warfare, with no broadening or shift in its core meaning over time.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是一把弩。

Zhè shì yī bǎ nǔ.

This is a crossbow.

他买了一把新弩。

Tā mǎi le yī bǎ xīn nǔ.

He bought a new crossbow.

弩箭射中了目标。

Nǔjiàn shèzhòng le mùbiāo.

The crossbow arrow hit the target.

士兵用弩防守城墙。

Shìbīng yòng nǔ fángshǒu chéngqiáng.

The soldier uses a crossbow to defend the city wall.

这把弩的威力很大。

Zhè bǎ nǔ de wēilì hěn dà.

This crossbow has great power.

古代战争中弩很重要。

Gǔdài zhànzhēng zhōng nǔ hěn zhòngyào.

Crossbows were very important in ancient warfare.

他熟练地操作弩弓。

Tā shúliàn de cāozuò nǔgōng.

He skillfully operates the crossbow.

弩的结构比弓复杂。

Nǔ de jiégòu bǐ gōng fùzá.

The structure of a crossbow is more complex than that of a bow.

Related Characters

Component: 奴

Component: 弓

弩