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鸣枪 (míng qiāng) — to fire a rifle into the air (as a salute, signal, or warning)

Definition

Verb used when a gun is fired in the air as a signal, salute, or start — not when firing AT a person or target. Common at ceremonies and the start of a race.

verb
to fire a rifle into the air (as a salute, signal, or warning)

Examples

  • ，鸣枪。
    Yí shì shàng, shì bīng men míng qiāng biǎo shì jìng yì.
    At the ceremony, the soldiers fired shots into the air to show respect.
  • ，。
    Cái pàn míng le yì qiāng, yùn dòng yuán men chōng le chū qù.
    The referee fired a shot, and the athletes rushed out.
  • 鸣枪。
    Qǐng wù zài shì qū nèi suí yì míng qiāng.
    Please do not fire guns arbitrarily within the city area.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

鸣míngmake a sound
枪qiānggun

鸣 means make a sound and 枪 means gun, so together they describe making a gun sound.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鳴; 鸣 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 鳴 combines 口 (mouth) and 鳥 (bird) to show a bird crying.

Open 鸣 →

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
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.

Open 枪 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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