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信号弹 (xìn hào dàn) — signal flare

Definition

noun
signal flare
Measure word · 枚

Examples

  • 信号弹。
    Tā men fā shè le yì kē xìn hào dàn zuò wéi qiú jiù xìn hào.
    They fired a signal flare as a distress signal.
  • 信号弹。
    Yè kōng zhōng tū rán shēng qǐ yì kē xìn hào dàn.
    A signal flare suddenly rose in the night sky.
  • 信号弹。
    Shì bīng yòng xìn hào dàn xiàng zǒng bù bào gào wèi zhì.
    The soldier used a signal flare to report his position to headquarters.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

信号signal
信xìnmessage号hàosignal
联合Coordinate
弹tánbullet/flare

信 and 号 both refer to messages or signals, and 弹 is a projectile; together it names a signal flare.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánwords
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén信xìn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

信 pairs 人 as the sound part with 言 (words) as the meaning part.

Open 信 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 口口kǒumouth
  • 丂丂kǎoexhaled air; a tiger's cry

The shape 号 comes from 口, a mouth, and 丂, exhaled air or a tiger's cry.

Open 号 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 彈; 弹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
弓弓gōng
Sound part声符shēngfú
單
單dān彈tán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 彈 pairs 弓 (bow) with the sound part 單; the simplified 弹 is a shorthand.

Open 弹 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseMiscellaneous Objects

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