缴枪 (jiǎo qiāng) — to lay down one's arms, to surrender (weapons); to give up, to admit defeat (figurative)

Definition

缴枪 (jiǎoqiāng) literally means 'hand over a gun' — used both for a literal surrender of weapons and, figuratively, for admitting defeat. Common in military and debate contexts.

verb
to lay down one's armsto surrender (weapons)to give upto admit defeat (figurative)

Examples

  • 缴枪。
    Dí rén bèi pò jiǎo qiāng tóu xiáng.
    The enemy was forced to lay down their arms and surrender.
  • ,缴枪。
    Zài biàn lùn zhōng, tā zuì zhōng jiǎo qiāng rèn shū le.
    In the debate, he finally gave up and admitted defeat.
  • 缴枪。
    Jǐng chá yāo qiú dǎi tú lì jí jiǎo qiāng.
    The police demanded the gangster lay down his weapon immediately.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

缴jiǎohand over

缴 and 枪 together describe handing over a gun, hence surrendering or giving up.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 繳; 缴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
敫
敫jiǎo繳jiǎo
Same sound today

The traditional form 繳 pairs 糸, silk, with 敫 for its sound; it meant raw silk thread. The simplified 缴 is a later shorthand.

Open 缴 →

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
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 →

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