How to Write 锏 (jiǎn) — Meaning “Mace (ancient weapon)”

Imagine a metal mace (钅) smashing through a door (间 looks like 门 with 日 inside). Or link it to the common word 杀手锏 (shā shǒu jiǎn, "trump card") and picture a fighter pulling out a hidden mace as his secret weapon.

Pay attention to the left radical 钅: the second and third strokes are two short horizontals, and the final horizontal should align with the bottom of the right part. On the right side 间, the outer frame (门) must be tall and narrow, with the inner 日 centered, and the bottom stroke of 间 should be slightly lower than the left side to keep balance.

锏 means a mace weapon and uses the metal radical 钅, while 钰 (yù) refers to a treasure or gem and has the jade radical 王/玉. 钱 (qián) means money and also uses 钅, but its right side 戋 (jiān) is different from 间. Visually, 锏 has 间 on the right, 钰 has 玉, and 钱 has 戋.

锏 itself is rarely used alone today because it is an ancient weapon. It appears mainly in the set phrase 杀手锏 (shā shǒu jiǎn), meaning a "trump card" or "secret weapon" in competitive situations. You may also see it in historical novels or martial arts stories describing warriors wielding 铁锏 or 双锏.

Common words containing 锏 include: 杀手锏 (shā shǒu jiǎn) — trump card; secret weapon; 铁锏 (tiě jiǎn) — iron mace (ancient weapon); 双锏 (shuāng jiǎn) — Double maces (ancient weapon).