Chinese word

开枪

Pronunciation

Pinyinkāi qiāng

Meaning

  • verbfire

Example

比赛开始，裁判用手枪开枪。bǐ sài kāi shǐ cái pàn yòng shǒu qiāng kāi qiāng

The match began, and the referee fired a pistol.

Illustration for 开枪 (fire)

More examples

为了驱散暴徒，警方向空中开枪示警。wèi le qū sàn bào tú jǐng fāng xiàng kōng zhōng kāi qiāng shì jǐng

To disperse the rioters, the police fired warning shots into the air.

Core concept

A gun sends a bullet outward in one sudden action.

Common phrases

  • 开枪打死kāi qiāng dá sǐ

    shoot dead

  • 向空中开枪示警xiàng kōng zhōng kāi qiāng shì jǐng

    fire warning shots into the air

Similar words

射击shè jī: Shooting at a target with a gun or bow.
开火kāi huǒ: Beginning an attack by firing weapons.
枪击qiāng jī: Shooting at a person or object with a gun.
发射fā shè: Sending bullets, missiles, or other projectiles rapidly outward.

Definition in Chinese

使枪支发射子弹，实施射击的动作或行为。shǐ qiāng zhī fā shè zǐ dàn shí shī shè jī de dòng zuò huò xíng wéi

Word origin

The compound 开枪 (kāiqiāng, "fire a gun") joins 开 (kāi, "operate") with 枪 (qiāng, "gun"), using the first character's action sense rather than its basic meaning of opening.

Usage tips

  • The word can also describe the start of a verbal attack in figurative contexts, but a surrounding topic about weapons or physical danger signals its literal sense.

Other meanings

  • shootverb

Opposites

  • 停火tíng huǒcease fireverb

Word lists with this word