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火箭炮 (huǒ jiàn pào) — rocket launcher; rocket gun

Definition

noun
rocket launcherrocket gun
Measure word · 门

Examples

  • 火箭炮。
    Shì bīng men yòng huǒ jiàn pào cuī huǐ le dí rén de zhèn dì.
    The soldiers destroyed the enemy's position with a rocket launcher.
  • 火箭炮。
    Zhè zhǒng huǒ jiàn pào de shè chéng fēi cháng yuǎn.
    This type of rocket gun has a very long range.
  • 火箭炮。
    Tā men zài yǎn xí zhōng shǐ yòng le duō guǎn huǒ jiàn pào.
    They used a multiple rocket launcher during the exercise.

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.

火箭rocket
火huǒfire箭jiànarrow
偏正Modifier + head
炮pàogun

火箭炮" joins "火箭" (fire arrow) with "炮" (gun), meaning a gun that fires fire arrows.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
前
前qián箭jiàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 竹 part points to bamboo, the material of arrows; the 前 part gives the sound.

Open 箭 →

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
火火huǒ
Sound part声符shēngfú
包
包bāo炮pào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

炮 combines 火 and 包; 包 supplies the sound.

Open 炮 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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