镖 (biāo) · dart; throwing weapon

Measure Word

一支镖 zhī

Meanings

1 dart; throwing weapon
2 armed escort (for transporting valuables)

Characters

镖

biāo

dart; armed escort

Examples

HSK 5

他飞镖投得很准。

Tā fēibiāo tóu de hěn zhǔn.

He throws darts very accurately.

HSK 5

我们去酒吧玩飞镖吧。

Wǒmen qù jiǔbā wán fēibiāo ba.

Let's go play darts at the bar.

HSK 7-9

古代的镖师负责护送货物。

Gǔdài de biāoshī fùzé hùsòng huòwù.

In ancient times, escort masters were responsible for guarding cargo.

Tips

history

镖局 were armed escort agencies in imperial China that protected merchants' goods during transport. They feature heavily in wuxia (martial arts) fiction and are a staple of Chinese period dramas.

memory

金 (metal radical) + 票 (ticket/document) = 镖. Metal weapon used to protect valuable documents and cargo.

Components

radical

钅 jīn

metal; gold (radical form of 金)

Metal radical on the left - the side-form of 金, simplified to five strokes. Indexes 镖 in the metal family with 刀 knife, 铁 iron, 钢 steel. Marks the character as a metal object: specifically a small throwing dart, the signature weapon of armed-escort guards in pre-modern China.

phonetic

票 piào

ticket; light; flutter

Right side 票 supplies the sound, drifting from piào to biāo. Originally 票 meant flickering fire - a sense of swift, darting motion that fits a thrown dart perfectly. Same phonetic in 飘 flutter, 漂 drift, 瓢 ladle; the family shares the lightweight, fast-moving feel.