Writing Balance Rule: Center the character vertically and ensure the middle turning stroke is balanced and symmetrical without leaning too far to one side.
1. Meaning
A weapon for shooting arrows, or to bend/curve something.
Surname GongTo arch one's back
Noun / VerbNeutral#weapons#shapes#body posture
Sample Usage
他手里拿着一张弓。
Tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe yì zhāng gōng.
He is holding a bow in his hand.
他把背弓了起来。
Tā bǎ bèi gōng le qǐ lái.
He arched his back.
2. Sound
/[kʊŋ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
弓
gōnggong1
|
++
¯(55)
=gōng
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
gong
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
g
Type: Unaspirated Velar
Sounds like: g sound as in 'go'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air (sounds like 'c' in Vietnamese 'cá' or 'k' in English 'skate').
Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue raised against the soft palate
Final Rhyme
ong
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ong rhymes with rung
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'h-' (h) with final '-ong' (oong).
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
5 → 5 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high at the top of your vocal range, similar to singing a steady note in high pitch.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the initial 'g' with 'k' or failing to hold the high level pitch of Tone 1, letting it drift downward into a falling tone.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, steady musical note, like a singer hitting a high pitch and holding it flat. Make a flat horizontal gesture with your hand in the air.
3. Writing
Topology: Single character · Strokes: 3 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Center the character vertically and ensure the middle turning stroke is balanced and symmetrical without leaning too far to one side.
4. Components
Radical弓 · Bow Radical (bow, curved weapon)
The character is a pictorial representation of a traditional hand-held archer's bow with a grip in the middle.
弓 Entire character represents a drawn bow shape
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
2· Phonetic Root: 弓 (gōng)
5. History
Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)
Origin: Oracle bone scripts clearly depict a curved wooden bow with a string stretching from top to bottom, designed for launching arrows in ancient hunting and warfare.
Semantic Evolution: Originally representing the physical weapon, the meaning naturally extended to anything curved like a bow, such as bending or arching the body, and later adopted as a Chinese family name.
Archery was considered one of the Six Arts essential for a gentleman in ancient Chinese education.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: キュウ (kyū) / Kun: ゆみ (yumi)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
궁
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Picture a flexible wooden archer's bow (弓) bent back tightly, ready to snap forward and release an arrow with a loud 'GONG' sound!
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
芎
xiōngused in 芎藭|芎䓖[xiong1 qiong2] and 川芎[chuan1 xiong1]; Taiwan pr. [qiong1]+ 艹 (plants)