About
The character for 'key' in Chinese, traditionally written as 鑰, is structurally composed of the metal radical 金 denoting its common material and the component 龠 which historically served as a phonetic indicator while also evoking a visual analogy to the shape of an ancient pipe instrument, thus linking the object to a tubular form. Its core meaning as a device for locking has remained stable through time, even as the perceived connection to the phonetic element gradually faded from common awareness. The contemporary form 钥 simplifies this construction by substituting the complex phonetic with 月, a component that maintains a similar sound, while the condensed metal radical 钅 preserves the original semantic association with manufactured metal objects.
Example Sentences Hide
这是我的钥匙。
钥匙在桌子上。
请把钥匙给我。
我找不到钥匙了。
这把钥匙能开门。
如果你有钥匙，就可以进去。
他忘记带钥匙，所以回不了家。
保管好钥匙是确保安全的重要环节。