钁 (jué) - A large mattock or pickaxe & a heavy digging tool with a broad blade

钁Tone 2

jué ｜ 28 strokes ｜ radical:

傑君

钁 · jué

A large mattock or pickaxe;

a heavy digging tool with a broad blade perpendicular to the handle.

A large mattock or pickaxea heavy digging tool with a broad blade

Usage highlights

mattock headhand pickbronze mattockmining pickiron mattockstone

Synonyms

  • 镐— pickaxe, mattock
  • 锄— hoe, mattock

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The farmer used a mattock (钁头) to break up the hard soil.
  • Archaeologists carefully excavated the site with small picks (手钁).
  • This ancient bronze mattock (铜钁) is a museum artifact.
  • Mining operations in the past relied on heavy picks (矿钁).

Collocations

  • mattock head(钁头)
  • hand pick(手钁)
  • bronze mattock(铜钁)
  • mining pick(矿钁)
  • iron mattock(铁钁)
  • stone-breaking mattock(破石钁)

Idioms

  • To wield a mattock and carry a basket(执钁负笼)
  • Mattocks and spades working together(钁锹并举)
  • The sound of mattocks and shovels(钁锹之声)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 钁 represents an important agricultural and mining tool in traditional Chinese society, used for breaking hard ground and excavating.
  • As a heavy tool, it symbolizes manual labor, perseverance, and the hard work of farmers and miners throughout Chinese history.
  • The character appears in classical texts describing agricultural practices and mining operations.

FAQ