步枪 (bù qiāng) — rifle | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

rifle

Measure word · 把

步枪。
Tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe yì zhī bù qiāng.
He is holding a rifle in his hand.
步枪。
Shì bīng men yòng bù qiāng shè jī mù biāo.
The soldiers use rifles to shoot at targets.
步枪。
Zhè bǎ bù qiāng de shè chéng hěn yuǎn.
This rifle has a very long range.

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.

步bùfoot/step

步 foot/step and 枪 gun give a rifle, originally a foot soldier's gun.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

止止步

步 uses two 止 (foot) forms, one reversed, to show one foot stepping in front of the other.

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.

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