Definition
交火 is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to exchange fire' between military forces. It refers specifically to gunfire exchanges, not declarations of war or hand-to-hand combat. Because it is a verb-object compound, you can insert aspect markers like 了 or 过, or measure phrases like 一次, between 交 and 火, e.g., 交了一次火 ('had a firefight once').
v.o.
to exchange fireto engage in a military firefight
Examples
- 交火。Shuāngfāng zài biānjìng jiāo huǒ le.The two sides exchanged fire at the border.
- 。Liǎng jūn jiāo guò yí cì huǒ.The two armies had a firefight once.
- 交火。Nà cì jiāo huǒ chíxù le sān ge xiǎoshí.That exchange of fire lasted three hours.
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