弹丸 (dàn wán) — pellet, shot (small projectile); (literary) tiny area, small piece of land

Definition

Literary word with two distinct senses: a small projectile (pellet/shot, as from a shotgun), and a tiny area of land, seen in the set phrase 弹丸之地.

noun
pelletshot (small projectile)(literary) tiny areasmall piece of land
Measure word · 颗

Examples

  • 弹丸。
    Tā yòng dàn wán dǎ zhòng le yuǎn chù de mù biāo.
    He hit the distant target with a pellet.
  • 弹丸，。
    Zhè ge guó jiā suī rán zhǐ yǒu dàn wán zhī dì, què lì shǐ yōu jiǔ.
    Although this country is only a tiny piece of land, it has a long history.
  • 弹丸，。
    Liè qiāng de dàn wán hěn xiǎo, dàn wēi lì bù xiǎo.
    The shotgun's pellets are small, but their power is not insignificant.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

弹tánprojectile
丸wánpellet

弹 and 丸 both denote small round projectiles, so the word means pellet or shot.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 彈; 弹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
弓弓gōng
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.

Open 弹 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

丸 is a later form split off from 夗. One explanation says its shape came from turning over a character meaning to tilt, giving the sense of something round.

Open 丸 →

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