qiāng
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 the Qiang ethnic group
  2. 2 ancient herding peoples of western China
  3. 3 a surname

Examples

羌族主要川西北山区
Qiāngzú zhǔyào zhù zài Chuānxīběi shānqū.
The Qiang people mainly live in the mountains of northwestern Sichuan.
羌笛哀音边塞
Qiāngdí de āiyīn chuán guò biānsài.
The mournful sound of the Qiang flute drifted across the frontier.

Tips

culture
The are one of China's oldest peoples; the 羌笛 (Qiang flute) is a stock image of frontier sorrow in Tang border poetry. The character is also a rare surname, and in classical texts can name a small deer (muntjac).

Components

radical
yáng
sheep
Top is the sheep radical . The Qiang were herders, and the character was originally read as 'the sheep-herding people of the west'.
semantic
ér
person; legs
The bottom is a person element. Combined with the sheep above, the character pictures a person among sheep — a herder of the western tribes.

Stroke Order

qiāng