防弹 (fáng dàn) — bulletproof | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

adjective

bulletproof

Examples

。
Tā chuān le yí jiàn fáng dàn yī.
He wore a bulletproof vest.
防弹。
Zhè liàng fáng dàn chē kě yǐ bǎo hù zhòng yào rén wù.
This bulletproof car can protect important people.
。
Yín háng de chuāng hu yòng de shì fáng dàn bō li.
The bank's windows use bulletproof glass.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

防fángprevent

防 gives the sense of preventing, and 弹 refers to bullets.

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.

阝方防

Meaning part形符xíngfú

阝Written in full as阜fù

Sound part声符shēngfú

方

方fāng防fáng

Same sound today

防 pairs 阝 (written fully as 阜) with 方, which gives the sound.

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.

弓單彈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

Appears in

Military & Defense

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