砲 (pào) - Cannon — an artillery piece & historically refers to stone-throwing catapults and later gunpowder

砲Tone 4

pào ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical:

柠七

砲 · pào

Cannon — an artillery piece;

historically refers to stone-throwing catapults and later gunpowder artillery.

Cannon — an artillery piecehistorically refers to stone-throwing catapults and later gunpowder

Usage highlights

Artillery cannonCatapultHowitzerFortress gunDeck gunArtillery fire

Synonyms

  • 炮— cannon, gun (modern variant with fire radical)
  • 火炮— artillery, cannon

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient army used catapults (投石砲).
  • Modern artillery includes howitzers (榴弹砲).
  • The fortress was defended by cannons (要塞砲).
  • Naval ships are equipped with deck guns (甲板砲).

Collocations

  • Artillery cannon(大砲)
  • Catapult(投石砲)
  • Howitzer(榴弹砲)
  • Fortress gun(要塞砲)
  • Deck gun(甲板砲)
  • Artillery fire(砲火)

Idioms

  • To fire the first shot(开第一砲)
  • To be a sitting duck(当活靶子挨砲)
  • Artillery bombardment(万砲齐发)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to stone-throwing catapults before gunpowder artillery.
  • The character uses the 'stone' radical, reflecting its early mechanical projectile nature.
  • In modern usage, often interchangeable with 炮 (fire radical) for gunpowder weapons.

FAQ