核弹 (hé dàn) — nuclear bomb | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

nuclear bomb

Measure word · 枚

核弹，。
hé dàn De wēi lì fēi cháng dà, zú yǐ cuī huǐ zhěng zuò chéng shì.
A nuclear bomb has enormous power, enough to destroy an entire city.
核弹。
Yǒu xiē guó jiā zhèng zài yán fā gèng xiān jìn de hé dàn.
Some countries are developing more advanced nuclear bombs.
核弹。
Guó jì shè huì yì zhí zài nǔ lì fáng zhǐ hé dàn de kuò sàn.
The international community has been working to prevent the spread of nuclear bombs.

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hénuclear core

核弹 combines 核 'nuclear core' and 弹 'bomb'.

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.

木亥核

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

亥

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.

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.

弓單彈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

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