槔 (gāo) - Gao — refers to a well sweep, a

槔Tone 1

gāo ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

槔 · gāo

Gao — refers to a well sweep, a counterbalanced lever used for drawing water from wells in ancient China.

Gao — refers to a well sweep, a

Usage highlights

Well sweepWaterLever mechanismAncient irrigation tool

Synonyms

  • 桔槔— well sweep (complete term)
  • 杠杆— lever (modern equivalent)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient well sweep (桔槔) was an important irrigation tool.
  • Farmers used the well sweep (井槔) to draw water.
  • This mechanism operates on the lever principle (槔的原理).

Collocations

  • Well sweep(桔槔)
  • Water-drawing device(汲槔)
  • Lever mechanism(槔杆)
  • Ancient irrigation tool(古槔)

Idioms

  • The well sweep and bucket(桔槔瓮牖)
  • Drawing water with a well sweep(抱瓮出灌)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 桔槔 was an important ancient Chinese irrigation invention dating back to the Spring and Autumn period.
  • It represents early Chinese mechanical engineering and agricultural technology.
  • The character is rarely used in modern Chinese except in historical or technical contexts.

FAQ