无烟火药 (wú yān huǒ yào) — smokeless powder (a propellant used in firearms)

Definition

A technical noun: the modern 'smokeless powder' used as a propellant in firearms, replacing black powder (黑火药).

noun
smokeless powder (a propellant used in firearms)

Examples

  • 无烟火药。
    Zhè zhǒng wú yān huǒ yào bǐ hēi huǒ yào gèng ān quán.
    This type of smokeless powder is safer than black powder.
  • ，无烟火药。
    Shí jiǔ shì jì mò, wú yān huǒ yào bèi fā míng chū lái.
    Smokeless powder was invented at the end of the 19th century.
  • 无烟火药。
    Shì bīng men shǐ yòng wú yān huǒ yào lái zhuāng tián zǐ dàn.
    The soldiers used smokeless powder to load bullets.

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.

无烟
无wúwithout烟yānsmoke
动宾Verb + object
火药
火huǒfire药yàopowder
偏正Modifier + head

无烟 means without smoke, and 火药 means gunpowder, giving the sense of smokeless powder.

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 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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 煙; 烟 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 烟 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (烟) it is 煙; in others it is 菸.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
垔
垔yīn煙yān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

This story is about the traditional form 煙, not the simplified 烟. It pairs 火, fire, with 垔, which gives the sound.

Open 烟 →

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

火 is a simple drawing of a fire, with flames shown rising upward.

Open 火 →

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 藥; 药 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
樂
樂lè藥yào
Same sound today

In the traditional form 藥, 艹 shows grass and 樂 gives the sound; this story is about 藥, not about the simplified 药.

Open 药 →

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