核导弹 (hé dǎo dàn) — nuclear guided missile

Definition

noun
nuclear guided missile
Measure word · 枚

Examples

  • 核导弹。
    Zhè ge guó jiā chéng gōng shì shè le yì méi hé dǎo dàn.
    This country successfully test-launched a nuclear guided missile.
  • 核导弹。
    Guó jì shè huì hū yù xiàn zhì hé dǎo dàn de kuò sàn.
    The international community calls for limiting the proliferation of nuclear guided missiles.
  • 核导弹。
    hé dǎo dàn De shè chéng kě yǐ fù gài zhěng gè dà lù.
    The range of a nuclear guided missile can cover an entire continent.

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.

核hénucleus
导弹guided missile
导dǎoguide弹tánmissile
偏正Modifier + head

核 nucleus and 导弹, where 导 guides and 弹 is a missile, form a nuclear guided missile.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài核hé
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

核 pairs 木, a tree, with 亥 to give its sound; it originally named a kind of tree, and its later meanings are borrowed.

Open 核 →

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 導; 导 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
寸寸cùnhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
道
道dào導
Same sound today

The traditional form 導 pairs 道 (path) as the sound part with 寸 (hand), giving the sense of leading someone. The simplified 导 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 导 →

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 →

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