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靶子 (bǎ zi) — target (for shooting or archery); target (of criticism, jokes, etc.)

Definition

靶子 is a literal 'target' you shoot or aim at — physical for archery/shooting practice, or figurative for jokes and criticism. Unlike 目标 or 目的, it is not something you set out to achieve.

noun
target (for shooting or archery)target (of criticism, jokes, etc.)
Measure word · 个
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Tā měi tiān liàn xí dǎ bǎ zi.
    He practices hitting the target every day.
  • 靶子。
    Tā de xīn fà xíng chéng le bàn gōng shì de bǎ zi.
    His new hairstyle became the target of the office.
  • ，靶子。
    Tā zǒng shì pī píng bié rén, dàn cóng bú dàng bǎ zi.
    He always criticizes others but never serves as a target.

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.

靶bǎtarget
子zǐ

靶 means target, and 子 gives it a concrete object sense, so the whole names a target.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
革革gé
Sound part声符shēngfú
巴
巴bā靶bǎ
Same sound today

靶 is made from 革, which relates to the meaning, and 巴, which gives the sound.

Open 靶 →

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.

Open 子 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Miscellaneous Objects

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