交火 (jiāo huǒ) — to exchange fire, to engage in a military firef… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal/military term for two sides actively firing weapons at each other. Used for armed combat, not verbal disputes.

verb

to exchange fire, to engage in a military firefight

Examples

交火。
Shuāng fāng zài biān jìng jiāo huǒ le.
The two sides exchanged fire at the border.
。
Liǎng jūn jiāo guò yí cì huǒ.
The two armies had a firefight once.
交火。
Nà cì jiāo huǒ chí xù le sān gè xiǎo shí.
That exchange of fire lasted three hours.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

交jiāoexchange

交 (exchange) with 火 (fire) means to exchange gunfire.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

火 is a simple drawing of a fire, with flames shown rising upward.

Appears in

Military & Defense

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