TongTong
Sign in

神枪手 (shén qiāng shǒu) — sharpshooter, marksman

Definition

noun
sharpshootermarksman
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 神枪手，。
    Tā shì yì míng yōu xiù de shén qiāng shǒu, měi cì bǐ sài dōu néng ná dì yī.
    He is an excellent sharpshooter who always wins first place in competitions.
  • 神枪手。
    Bù duì lǐ xū yào gèng duō de shén qiāng shǒu lái zhí xíng tè shū rèn wu.
    The army needs more sharpshooters to carry out special missions.
  • 神枪手。
    Zhè wèi shén qiāng shǒu zài bǎi mǐ wài yì qiāng mìng zhòng le mù biāo.
    This marksman hit the target with one shot from a hundred meters away.

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.

神shénmiraculous
枪手gunner
枪qiānggun手shǒuperson
偏正Modifier + head

神 means miraculous and 枪手 refers to a gunner, so 神枪手 is a miraculous gunner.

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
示示shìgod; deity
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn神shén
Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →

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 →

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

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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