弓 (gōng): a bow (weapon), CL:張|张, to bend
弓 (gōng) is a Chinese character meaning “a bow (weapon).” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 弓 (bow). It ranks #2176 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 弓 a bow aimed to the left. Its radical form 弓 (bow) appears in many related characters such as 弟 (dì, younger brother), 张 (zhāng, to open up), 强 (qiáng, stubborn).
Definitions
- a bow (weapon)
- CL:張|张
- to bend
Etymology & Origin
pictographicA bow aimed to the left
Stroke Order
Practice writing 弓 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 弓箭 | gōng jiàn | bow and arrow |
| 弹弓 | dàn gōng | catapult |
| 弓形 | gōng xíng | circular segment |
| 弩弓 | nǔ gōng | crossbow |
| 左右开弓 | zuǒ yòu kāi gōng | lit. to shoot from both sides (idiom) |
| 惊弓之鸟 | jīng gōng zhī niǎo | lit. a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow (idiom) |
| 琴弓 | qín gōng | bow (of a stringed instrument) |
| 开弓没有回头箭 | kāi gōng méi yǒu huí tóu jiàn | lit. once you've shot the arrow, there's no getting it back (idiom) |
| 开弓不放箭 | kāi gōng bù fàng jiàn | lit. to draw the bow without shooting the arrow (idiom) |
| 角弓反张 | jiǎo gōng fǎn zhāng | opitoshtonous (med.), muscular spasm of the body associated with tetanus and meningitis |
| 受电弓 | shòu diàn gōng | pantograph (transportation) |
| 复合弓 | fù hé gōng | composite bow (archery) |
| 集电弓 | jí diàn gōng | pantograph (transportation) |
| 高弓足 | gāo gōng zú | high-arched feet |
| 伤弓之鸟 | shāng gōng zhī niǎo | see 驚弓之鳥|惊弓之鸟[jing1 gong1 zhi1 niao3] |
弓 appears in 45 compound words: 42 as the first character, 38 as the last, and 20 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 弓 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (5)
false alarm; self-created suspicion; atmosphere of fear and admonition
panic-stricken person; someone who is easily frightened due to past experiences of attack or shock
to cast somebody or something aside when the purpose has been served
false alarm; self-created suspicion; atmosphere of fear and admonition
panic-stricken person; someone who is easily frightened due to past experiences of attack or shock
to cast somebody or something aside when the purpose has been served
Showing 4 of 5 idioms containing 弓.
Example Sentences
老师教我们弓字的发音和笔顺。
lǎo shī jiào wǒ men gōng zì de fā yīn hé bǐ shùn .
The teacher taught us the pronunciation and stroke order of the character "弓."
台铁2列车集电弓受损! 宜兰线午后大误点
tái tiě 2 liè chē jí diàn gōng shòu sǔn ! yí lán xiàn wǔ hòu dà wù diǎn
猫弓起背，伸了个懒腰。
Māo gōng qǐ bèi, shēn le gè lǎnyāo.
The cat arched its back and stretched itself.
他派给我了两名弓箭手。
Tā pài gěi wǒ le liǎng míng gōngjiànshǒu.
He assigned two archers to me.
这个女孩做了一把很难使用的弓。
Zhège nǚhái zuò le yī bǎ hěn nán shǐyòng de gōng.
The girl made an awkward bow.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 弓 (gōng) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 弓 have?
What is the radical of 弓?
What are common words containing 弓?
What characters sound the same as 弓 (gōng)?
Is 弓 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 弓 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.