枪子 (qiāng zǐ) — bullet | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Colloquial, spoken term for a single bullet — the more everyday alternative to the written 子弹 (zǐdàn).

noun

bullet

Measure word · 颗

枪子。
Dì shàng yǒu yì kē qiāng zǐ.
There is a bullet on the ground.
枪子。
Tā bèi qiāng zǐ dǎ shāng le.
He was injured by a bullet.
枪子。
Jǐng chá zài fàn zuì xiàn chǎng zhǎo dào le jǐ kē qiāng zǐ.
The police found several bullets at the crime scene.

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.

枪 names a gun and 子 gives the small thing sense, yielding bullet.

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 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.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Appears in