戈 (gē): dagger-axe (ancient Chinese wea…

Meanings

1 dagger-axe (ancient Chinese weapon)
2 Ge (surname)

Characters

戈

gē

dagger-axe; halberd

Examples

戈是古代中国常用的武器。

Gē shì gǔdài Zhōngguó chángyòng de wǔqì.

The dagger-axe was a commonly used weapon in ancient China.

大动干戈只会让事情更糟。

Dàdònggāngē zhǐ huì ràng shìqing gèng zāo.

Starting a big fight will only make things worse.

Tips

usage

戈 is the radical 戈 (gē) found in many characters related to weapons or conflict: 战 (war), 戒 (guard), 成 (accomplish). The idiom 大动干戈 means 'to make a big fuss' or 'to go to war.'

Components

pictograph

戈 gē

dagger-axe; halberd

Pictograph of a long-handled dagger-axe with a horizontal blade and a tassel. The diagonal stroke is the haft, the upper hook is the curved blade, the dot is the tassel. Productive as Kangxi radical 62, indexing martial characters: 战 (war), 戎, 戒, 戍, 成.

Radical

Halberd Kangxi #62

Pictograph of a long-handled dagger-axe with a horizontal blade. As a radical it consistently marks weapons and martial action — 战 (war), 戎 (military), 戒 (guard against), 戊 (5th Heavenly Stem), 戍 (garrison), 成 (accomplish, originally a sworn oath). Productive in classical and modern usage alike.