zǐ dàn
balle; cartouche; munition
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子弹从枪膛里射出。
Zǐdàn cóng qiāng táng lǐ shè chū.
The bullet shot out of the barrel.
他被子弹击中了。
Tā bèi zǐdàn jí zhōng le.
He was hit by a bullet.
子弹在空中飞舞。
Zǐdàn zài kōng zhōng fēi wǔ.
The bullets flew through the air.
弹药 (dànyào)
ammunition
枪弹 (qiāngdàn)
cartridge
炮弹 (pào dàn)
cannonball
炸弹 (zhà dàn)
bomb
The Chinese word 子弹 (zǐ dàn) for "bullet" is composed of two characters: 子 (zǐ) and 弹 (dàn). The character 子 (zǐ) originally meant "seed" or "offspring", but in this context, it refers to the small, round shape of a bullet. The character 弹 (dàn) originally meant "to bounce" or "to spring", and in this context, it refers to the way a bullet is propelled from a gun. Together, the two characters 子弹 (zǐ dàn) form a compound word that literally means "bouncing seed", which is a fitting description for a bullet.
