舰炮 (jiàn bāo) — naval gun (shipboard artillery, including bow/stern chasers and missile launchers)

Definition

A 舰炮 is the large gun mounted on a warship (舰 = warship, 炮 = cannon). It refers to shipboard artillery used against ships or shore targets — distinct from missiles or aircraft weapons.

noun
naval gun (shipboard artillery, including bow/stern chasers and missile launchers)
Measure word · 门

Examples

  • 舰炮。
    Zhè sōu qū zhú jiàn de jiàn bāo kě yǐ dǎ jī yuǎn chù mù biāo.
    The destroyer's naval guns can strike distant targets.
  • 舰炮。
    Xiàn dài jiàn bāo de shè chéng hé jīng dù dōu yǒu le hěn dà tí gāo.
    The range and accuracy of modern naval guns have greatly improved.
  • 舰炮。
    Jiàn zhǎng mìng lìng jiàn bāo miáo zhǔn dí jiàn.
    The captain ordered the naval guns to aim at the enemy ship.

Origin

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.

舰jiànwarship
炮pàogun

舰 names a warship, and 炮 names a gun; together they mean a gun mounted on a warship.

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 艦; 舰 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
舟舟zhōu
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān艦⁰jiàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 艦 pairs 舟 (boat) with 監 to give the sound; the simplified 舰 is a shorthand and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 舰 →

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
火火huǒ
Sound part声符shēngfú
包
包bāo炮pào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

炮 combines 火 and 包; 包 supplies the sound.

Open 炮 →

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