TongTong
Sign in

火枪 (huǒ qiāng) — firearm, especially an early muzzle-loading gun (matchlock, flintlock, etc.)

Definition

Historical muzzle-loading firearm (matchlock, flintlock, etc.), used before modern rifles. 枪 is the general word for 'gun'; 火 specifies the early gunpowder-loaded type.

noun
firearm, especially an early muzzle-loading gun (matchlock, flintlock, etc.)
Measure word · 支

Examples

  • 火枪。
    Bó wù guǎn lǐ chén liè zhe yì bǎ gǔ lǎo de huǒ qiāng.
    The museum displays an ancient firearm.
  • 火枪。
    Zhè zhǒng huǒ qiāng xū yào xiān zhuāng huǒ yào cái néng fā shè.
    This type of firearm needs to be loaded with gunpowder before firing.
  • 火枪。
    Tā zài diàn yǐng lǐ kàn dào le yì bǎ jīng zhì de huǒ qiāng.
    He saw a finely crafted firearm in the movie.

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.

火huǒfire
枪qiānggun

火 names fire or gunpowder, and 枪 names a gun, so the word means a fire-powered gun.

Characters in this word

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 槍; 枪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng槍qiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 槍 pairs 木 (wood) with 倉 as a sound part; the simplified 枪 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical component.

Open 枪 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.