飞弹 (fēi dàn) — missile; stray bullet | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary/formal term covering both 'missile' (weapons) and 'stray bullet' (a bullet that flew off-course). 飞弹 often refers to missiles in military news, while 子弹 is the everyday word for bullets.

noun

missilestray bullet

Measure word · 枚

Examples

飞弹。
Nà ge guó jiā fā shè le yì méi fēi dàn.
That country launched a missile.
飞弹，。
Tā bèi yì kē fēi dàn jī zhòng, shòu le zhòng shāng.
He was hit by a stray bullet and seriously injured.
。
Jūn shì jī dì zuì jìn cè shì le xīn fēi dàn.
The military base recently tested a new missile.

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.

弹tánprojectile

A 弹 projectile that 飞 flies like a bullet names a missile.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飛; 飞 is its simplified writing.

For 飞, the traditional form 飛 pictures a bird flying upwards.

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 彈; 弹 is its simplified writing.

弓單彈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

單

單dān彈tán

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 彈 pairs 弓 (bow) with the sound part 單; the simplified 弹 is a shorthand.

Appears in

Military & Defense

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