duàn
measure word HSK 2 #522

Meanings

  1. 1 section; paragraph
  2. 2 measure word for periods of time or sections

Characters

Contains (weapon/to strike) — originally meant to hammer metal into sections

Examples

Qǐng dú zhè duàn huà.
Please read this passage.
Zhè duàn shíjiān wǒ hěn máng.
I've been very busy during this period.
Zhè duàn lù hěn nán zǒu.
This stretch of road is hard to walk.

Tips

usage
is used for segments: a paragraph of text, a period of time, a stretch of road, or a piece of a story/experience.

Components

radical
shū
lance-shaft; striking weapon
Right indexing lance radical (Kangxi #79) — a hand holding a long-handled weapon. Carries the action: striking the cliff to break off pieces. Same radical anchors (throw), (beat), (destroy), — all violent or forceful actions performed with a stick or hand-held implement.
semantic
丿 piě
cliff face; section of stone (graphic residue)
Left 5 strokes — the hint marks this slot unknown because it's an Ext-A glyph with no clean modern reading. Historically these strokes depict a section of cliff being struck off: a vertical face with horizontal layering and a downward-pointing chip. The picture explains 's core sense of 'a piece broken off,' from which came 'section, paragraph, period of time.'

Stroke Order

duàn