炸药 (zhà yào) — explosive (material) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A substance that explodes — the raw material (like dynamite or gunpowder), not the ready-made device. Compare 炸弹, which is a finished bomb.

noun

explosive (material)

Measure word · 种

炸药。
Jǐng fāng zài fèi xū xià miàn fā xiàn le dà liàng zhà yào.
The police found a large amount of explosives under the ruins.
炸药，。
Zhè zhǒng zhà yào de wēi lì fēi cháng dà, bì xū yán gé guǎn lǐ.
This type of explosive is extremely powerful and must be strictly managed.
炸药。
Gōng rén men zhèng zài yòng zhà yào bào pò yán shí.
The workers are blasting rock with explosives.

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.

炸zhàexploding

药yàopowder or medicine

炸 gives the idea of exploding, and 药 is powder or medicine, giving explosive material.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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.

艹樂藥

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.

Appears in