干戈
gān gē · HSK 7
weapons of war
⚔️🛡️ 干 = shield + 戈 = dagger-axe; old weapons → warfare
干 originally meant a forked shield/pole weapon, and 戈 was a dagger-axe used in ancient Chinese warfare. Together 干戈 names the paired arms of a soldier, and by extension stands for war itself, as in 大动干戈 (raise a big fuss/go to war).
干 — pictograph of a forked weapon/shield
干 originally depicted a forked wooden weapon or shield used in ancient warfare, giving the early sense of 'to offend' or 'to oppose.' Over time it took on extended meanings like 'to concern' and 'trunk/stem.' In modern simplified Chinese it also absorbed 乾 (dry) and 幹 (to do; trunk), so one character now covers several unrelated words.