kūn

锟

Character · NounTraditional錕

ancient sword; fine metal

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 3 examples
1.

noun

high-quality iron; lustrous metal

literary

Classical literary term describing fine metal, originally from《说文解字》.

Kūn锟
tiě铁
zài在
gǔ古
dài代
bèi被
shì视
wéi为
zhēn珍
guì贵
de的
cái材
liào料
 。

Kun iron was regarded as a precious material in ancient times.

2.

noun

used in 锟铻 (kūnwú), a legendary ancient sword

literary

Almost exclusively appears in the compound 锟铻 (also written 昆吾), referring to a mythical sword that could cut through jade and iron.

Kūn锟
wú铻
bǎo宝
jiàn剑
xuē削
tiě铁
rú如
ní泥
 。

The Kunwu sword cuts through iron like mud.

Xiāng相
chuán传
kūn锟
wú铻
zhī之
jiàn剑
kě可
qiē切
yù玉
duàn断
jīn金
 。

Legend has it that the Kunwu sword can slice jade and sever gold.