槍

槍 is a phono-semantic compound composed of:

木 (나무 목) — semantic component, representing wood (the shaft of the spear).

倉 (곳집 창) — phonetic component, providing the sound qiāng / chang.

The combination conveys “a wooden weapon (木) associated with the sound chang (倉).”

Thus, its earliest meaning was a spear or pole-weapon with a wooden shaft.

步槍 (보창) — rifle

機槍 (기창) — machine gun

長槍 (장창) — long spear or lance

短槍 (단창) — short spear, short gun

槍手 (창수) — shooter, gunman, or spearman

In early Chinese texts, 槍 referred to a long wooden weapon tipped with metal used by soldiers or guards.

It was one of the main polearms of ancient and medieval armies.

Closely related characters include:

矛 (창 모) — generic “spear,” broader sense.

戟 (극) — halberd or forked spear.

「持槍而立」 — “To stand holding a spear.”

By the Ming and Qing dynasties, when firearms spread in East Asia, 槍 was extended to mean guns in general, due to their similar “long shaft” form.

Thus, 槍 replaced 銃 in most modern Chinese dialects to mean “gun.”

In contrast:

銃 (총 총) — still used in some older or regional texts.

矛 (모) — retained the older sense “spear, pike.”

Modern usage examples:

手槍 — handgun or pistol.

槍枝 — firearm (general term).

開槍 — to fire a gun.

Cultural and linguistic evolution:

The semantic evolution of 槍 from spear to gun mirrors technological change: the word kept its core imagery of a straight weapon for thrusting or projecting force.

In martial arts and literature, 槍法 (spear technique) symbolizes directness, precision, and vitality.

鎗, 鑓