肉弹 (ròu dàn) — (slang, often derogatory) buxom beauty, bombshell (a woman with a very curvaceous figure)

Definition

Slang for a 'bombshell' — a woman with a strikingly curvaceous figure. Often used in tabloid or entertainment media, sometimes in a derogatory way.

noun
(slang, often derogatory) buxom beautybombshell (a woman with a very curvaceous figure)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 肉弹。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng de nǚ zhǔ jué shì gè yǒu míng de ròu dàn.
    The female lead of this movie is a famous bombshell.
  • 肉弹，。
    Tā suī rán bèi chēng wéi ròu dàn, dàn yǎn jì yě hěn chū sè.
    Although she's called a bombshell, her acting skills are also outstanding.
  • 肉弹。
    Zá zhì fēng miàn shàng de ròu dàn mó tè xī yǐn le hěn duō rén.
    The bombshell model on the magazine cover attracted many people.

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.

肉ròuflesh
弹tánbomb

肉 'flesh' and 弹 'bomb' give a slang image of a curvaceous woman.

Characters in this word

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

The original shape of 肉 showed ribs of an animal’s torso, or simply a slice of meat.

Open 肉 →

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
弓弓gōng
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.

Open 弹 →

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