duǎn

short

brief; to lack; weak point; fault

Arrow (矢) + bean (豆) = short, like an arrow's brief span

An arrow (矢) was a standard unit of measurement in ancient China, so falling short of an arrow's length meant being brief or lacking. 豆 mainly lends the sound duǎn; the arrow carries the meaning.

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ArrowSemantic
BeanPhonetic

Words with 短

锈腹短翅鸫

xiù fù duǎn chì dōng

(bird species of China) rusty-bellied shortwing (Brachypteryx hyperythra)

长吁短叹

cháng xū duǎn tàn

long moan and short gasp (idiom); continually moaning and groaning in pain

长枪短炮

cháng qiāng duǎn pào

camera (jocular)

长痛不如短痛

cháng tòng bù rú duǎn tòng

better to just get the pain over with, rather than prolong the agony

长短

cháng duǎn

length

长话短说

cháng huà duǎn shuō

(idiom) to make a long story short; to keep it brief

飞短流长

fēi duǎn liú cháng

to spread malicious gossip

高山短翅莺

gāo shān duǎn chì yīng

(bird species of China) russet bush warbler (Locustella mandelli)

黑短脚鹎

hēi duǎn jiǎo bēi

(bird species of China) black bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)

齐B小短裙

qí b xiǎo duǎn qún

(slang) micro-miniskirt

齐B短裙

qí b duǎn qún

(slang) micro-miniskirt

一长一短

yī cháng yī duǎn

(idiom) talking endlessly; long-winded

More characters with 矢