弓
gōng · HSK 7
bow
🏹 pictograph of a bow weapon; 'gōng' sounds like 'gong' you'd strike
弓 is one of the oldest pictographs, depicting the curved shape of an archer's bow with its string. The Gong surname uses this same character. Modern compounds: 弓箭 (gōngjiàn) = bow and arrow.
弓 — pictograph of a bow
弓 is a pictograph depicting a bow, the weapon used for shooting arrows. Early oracle bone forms clearly show the curved shape of an unstrung or strung bow. It still means 'bow' today and serves as a radical in characters related to archery, like 引 (to pull) and 弧 (arc).