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杀伤性 (shā shāng xìng) — lethality, destructive power, ability to kill or injure

Definition

A bound noun meaning 'lethality / destructive power' — it always attaches to another noun (e.g. 武器的杀伤性, 杀伤性武器) and is never used alone. The X性 suffix turns the verb 杀伤 ('to kill or wound') into a quality or capability.

noun
lethalitydestructive powerability to kill or injure

Examples

  • 杀伤性。
    Zhè zhǒng wǔ qì de shā shāng xìng hěn qiáng.
    This weapon's lethality is very strong.
  • 杀伤性。
    Wǒ men bì xū kǎo lǜ zhè zhǒng xíng dòng de shā shāng xìng.
    We must consider the destructive power of this action.
  • ，杀伤性。
    Zài zhàn chǎng shàng, shā shāng xìng shì jué dìng shèng fù de guān jiàn yīn sù.
    On the battlefield, lethality is the key factor in deciding victory or defeat.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

杀伤kill and injure
杀shākill伤shānginjure
联合Coordinate
性xìngnature

杀 and 伤 mean killing and injuring, and 性 expresses the quality of causing such harm.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 殺; 杀 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 殺 comes from an old drawing of a boar impaled in the head, with 人 and 又 added to show a person doing the killing; the simplified 杀 is a later abbreviation.

Open 杀 →

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 傷; 伤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
𥏻
𥏻𥏻傷shāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傷 shows 人, a person, and uses 𥏻 to give the sound; the simplified 伤 is a later shorthand.

Open 伤 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
生
生shēng性xìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

性 is built from 忄 (the heart) and 生 (a sound clue). The heart part connects the word to a person's inner nature or quality.

Open 性 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseSafety & Danger

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