纲 (gāng) - Key link & guiding principle

纲Tone 1

gāng ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 纟

枫惠

纲 · gāng

Key link;

guiding principle;

outline;

main thread;

essential part;

classification category.

Key linkguiding principleoutline

Usage highlights

OutlineGuiding principleProgramKey linkThree BondsHead rope of a fishing net

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 目— detail; subordinate part (antonym to the 'main thread' sense)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The outline of the course (课程大纲) is available online.
  • We must grasp the key link (抓住纲要) in our work.
  • This is the guiding principle (总纲) of our constitution.
  • He studies the Three Bonds and Five Constants (三纲五常).

Collocations

  • Outline(大纲)
  • Guiding principle(纲领)
  • Program(纲要)
  • Key link(纲目)
  • Three Bonds(三纲)
  • Head rope of a fishing net(纲绳)

Idioms

  • Grasp the key link, and the whole network is drawn up(纲举目张)
  • The Three Bonds and Five Constants(三纲五常)
  • Disorderly and out of line(纲纪废弛)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to the main rope of a fishing net, from which all meshes are drawn.
  • In Confucianism, refers to the Three Bonds (ruler-subject, father-son, husband-wife) as fundamental social principles.
  • Used in traditional classification systems like the Compendium of Materia Medica (本草纲目).

FAQ