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信号枪 (xìn hào qiāng) — flare pistol; signal pistol

Definition

noun
flare pistolsignal pistol
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 信号枪。
    Jǐng chá yòng xìn hào qiāng fā shè xìn hào dàn.
    The police used a flare pistol to launch signal flares.
  • 信号枪。
    Tā zài chuán shàng dài le yì bǎ xìn hào qiāng.
    He brought a flare pistol on the boat.
  • 信号枪，。
    Zhè bǎ xìn hào qiāng shì xīn de, hái méi yǒu yòng guò.
    This flare pistol is new and hasn't been used yet.

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
枪qiānggun

A 枪 associated with 信号, signals, is a flare or signal pistol.

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 槍; 枪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng槍qiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 槍 pairs 木 (wood) with 倉 as a sound part; the simplified 枪 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical component.

Open 枪 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseMiscellaneous Objects

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