射

shè
verb HSK 6 #1,157

Meanings

  1. 1 to shoot; to fire
  2. 2 to emit; to radiate

Examples

HSK 3
Tā shèmén défēn le!
He scored with a shot on goal!
HSK 6
Tā cháo mùbiāo shè le yī jiàn.
He shot an arrow at the target.
HSK 7-9
Tàiyáng shè chū qiángliè de guāngmáng.
The sun emitted intense light.

Tips

usage
射 is used for shooting arrows, bullets, or goals in sports. 射门 means "to shoot (at goal)" in soccer/football.
memory
The character 射 contains 身 (body) and 寸 (inch): the body draws the bow to release at just the right inch.

Components

radical
寸 cùn
inch; hand-measure
Hand-measure radical on the right - the indexing radical (Kangxi #41). The hand that releases the arrow with precise timing. Carries the controlled hand-action sense seen in 封 (seal), 尊 (honour), 导 (guide).
semantic
身 shēn
body
Body radical on the left - semantic. The original oracle-bone form of 射 was a bow with arrow plus a hand, depicting archery directly. By the seal script the bow had stylised into 身, fixing the modern visual of a body drawing the weapon. The whole body engages in archery.

Stroke Order

射 shè