地对地 (dì duì dì) — (military modifier) ground-to-ground

Definition

Military classifier-style adjective meaning 'ground-to-ground', used to describe weapons fired from the land at land targets (vs. launched from air or sea). Typically placed before a noun like 导弹 or 武器.

adjective

(military modifier) ground-to-ground

Examples

地对地。
Zhè zhǒng dì duì dì dǎo dàn de shè chéng fēi cháng yuǎn.
This type of ground-to-ground missile has a very long range.
地对地。
Kōng jūn hé lù jūn dōu shǐ yòng le dì duì dì wǔ qì.
Both the air force and the army used ground-to-ground weapons.
地对地。
dì duì dì Dǎ jī xì tǒng zài xiàn dài zhàn zhēng zhōng hěn zhòng yào.
Ground-to-ground strike systems are very important in modern warfare.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

地dìground

对地targets ground

对duìtarget地dìground

动宾Verb + object

地 gives ground, 对 gives facing or targeting, and the second 地 gives ground, so it means ground-to-ground.

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.

土也地

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

也

也yě地dì

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

丵丵zhuótool for digging
土土tǔearth
又又yòuhand

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →