Chinese

Noun

干戈

1. the weapons of war; arms
2. (figuratively) the chaos of war; battle

Derived terms

Japanese

Etymology

/kankwa/ → /kanka/

From Middle Chinese compound 干戈 ‎(kan kwa, literally “shield + polearm, spear”).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Goon
• (Tokyo) か​んか [káꜜǹkà] (Atamadaka - [1])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [kã̠ŋka̠]

Noun

干戈 ‎(hiragana かんか, romaji kanka, historical hiragana かんくわ)

1. literally “shields and spears”: a metaphor for weaponry or military force
2. conflict

Idioms

References

1. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
2. ↑ 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13143-0