扦 (qiān): a slender pointed rod (of metal…

Meanings

1 a slender pointed rod (of metal or bamboo)
2 skewer
3 to stick in; to insert
4 to take cuttings (of a plant)

Characters

扦

qiān

pointed rod; to stick in

Examples

她在花瓶里扦了几枝梅花。

Tā zài huāpíng lǐ qiān le jǐ zhī méihuā.

She arranged a few branches of plum blossom in the vase.

他用铁扦子从粮食袋里取样。

Tā yòng tiě qiān zi cóng liángshi dài lǐ qǔ yàng.

He used an iron rod to test a sample from the grain sack.

Tips

usage

扦 is both a thing and an action. As a noun (扦子 qiānzi) it is a slender pointed rod or skewer. As a verb it means to stick something pointed in — common in 扦插 qiānchā, propagating a plant from a cutting, and arranging flowers in a vase.