矢 (shǐ): arrow

Measure Word

一支矢 zhī

Meanings

1 arrow
2 dart
3 (literary) to vow; to swear

Characters

矢

shǐ

arrow

Examples

有的放矢才能事半功倍。

Yǒudìfàngshǐ cáinéng shìbàngōngbèi.

Only by taking aim before you shoot can you get twice the result with half the effort.

他矢志不渝地追求自己的理想。

Tā shǐzhìbùyú de zhuīqiú zìjǐ de lǐxiǎng.

He swore to pursue his ideals without wavering.

Tips

history

矢 is the classical word for 'arrow' (modern: 箭). It appears in many literary compounds: 矢志 (to vow), 矢口否认 (to flatly deny), 有的放矢 (to shoot with a target).

Components

pictograph

矢 shǐ

arrow

Self-pictograph and Kangxi radical 111. Depicts an arrow: the slanted top is the arrowhead, the cross is the shaft and feathered notch, and the splayed bottom is the binding around the nock. From the literal arrow came the verbs 'to swear, vow' (an oath made on an arrow) preserved in classical 矢志不渝. Atomic; not analyzable into sub-pieces.

Radical

Arrow Kangxi #111

A small radical with very recognisable, useful compounds: 知 (know — fast as an arrow off the tongue), 短 (short), 矩 (square / rule), 矮 (short in height). Often a structural component on the left, sometimes carrying a faint sense of measuring or quickness, sometimes purely formal.