击沉 (jī chén) — to sink (a ship, etc.) by striking or bombing | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A military/technical verb meaning to sink a vessel by attacking it with weapons. Distinct from 沉没 (chénmò), which describes a ship sinking on its own or by accident.

verb

to sink (a ship, etc.) by striking or bombing

Examples

击沉。
Hǎi jūn chéng gōng jī chén le dí jiàn.
The navy successfully sank the enemy ship.
击沉。
Zhè sōu chuán bèi yú léi jī chén.
This ship was sunk by a torpedo.
击沉。
Tā men yòng dǎo dàn jī chén le mù biāo.
They used missiles to sink the target.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

击jīstrike

击 means to strike, and 沉 means to sink; together they describe striking something until it sinks.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 擊; 击 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

毄

毄jī擊jī

Same sound today

The traditional form 擊 has 手 (hand) and 毄; 毄 gives the sound and also points to striking, while the simplified 击 is a later shorthand.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

Military & Defense

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