持枪 (chí qiāng) — to hold a gun; (military) to port arms | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning to hold or carry a gun; in military contexts it means 'to port arms'. Read 'chí' here, not 'zhì'.

verb

to hold a gun(military) to port arms

Examples

持枪。
Tā chí qiāng zhàn zài mén kǒu.
He stood at the door holding a gun.
持枪。
Shì bīng men chí qiāng liè duì.
The soldiers stood in formation with port arms.
，。
Tā chí guò yí cì qiāng, dàn méi kāi guò.
He has held a gun once, but never fired it.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

持 (hold) and 枪 (gun) combine as hold a gun.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

寺

寺sì持chí

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

持 combines 手 (hand), for the idea of holding, with 寺, which gives the sound.

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.

木倉槍

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

Appears in

Military & Defense

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