弹药库 (dàn yào kù) — ammunition depot

Definition

noun
ammunition depot
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 弹药库。
    Zhè ge dàn yào kù lǐ chǔ cún le dà liàng dàn yào.
    This ammunition depot stores a large amount of ammunition.
  • 弹药库。
    Jūn duì zài shān qū jiàn le yí gè mì mì dàn yào kù.
    The army built a secret ammunition depot in the mountains.
  • 弹药库。
    dàn yào kù Zhōu wéi yǒu yán mì de ān bǎo cuò shī.
    There are strict security measures around the ammunition depot.

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.

弹药ammunition
弹tánprojectile药yàopowder
联合Side by side
库kùstorage

弹 and 药 together mean ammunition, and 库 means storage, so the place stores ammunition.

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 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 →

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 藥; 药 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
樂
樂lè藥yào
Same sound today

In the traditional form 藥, 艹 shows grass and 樂 gives the sound; this story is about 藥, not about the simplified 药.

Open 药 →

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 庫; 库 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
广广guǎngbuilding
Sound part声符shēngfú
車
車jū庫kù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 庫 pairs 广 (building) with 車 (sound); the building part points to a storehouse. The simplified 库 is a later shorthand.

Open 库 →

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