弹 (dàn): crossball, bullet, shot
弹 (dàn) is a Chinese character meaning “crossball.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 弓 (semantic) and 单 (phonetic). It ranks #632 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 弹 bow. Its radical form 弓 (bow) appears in many related characters such as 弟 (dì, younger brother), 张 (zhāng, to open up), 强 (qiáng, stubborn).
Definitions
- crossball
- bullet
- shot
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 弹 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 弹
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 子弹noun | zǐ dàn | bullet |
| 炸弹noun | zhà dàn | bomb |
| 导弹noun | dǎo dàn | (guided) missile |
| 核弹noun | hé dàn | nuclear bomb |
| 中弹verb | zhòng dàn | to get hit by a bullet |
| 弹药noun | dàn yào | ammunition |
| 弹壳noun | dàn ké | ammunition case |
| 原子弹 | yuán zǐ dàn | atomic bomb |
| 手榴弹 | shǒu liú dàn | hand grenade |
| 弹道noun | dàn dào | trajectory (of a projectile) |
| 炮弹noun | pào dàn | artillery shell |
| 弹琴verb | tán qín | to play or strum a lute or other stringed instrument |
| 弹头noun | dàn tóu | warhead |
| 弹奏verb | tán zòu | to play (musical instrument, esp. string) |
| 飞弹noun | fēi dàn | (Tw) missile |
弹 appears in 101 compound words: 40 as the first character, 56 as the last, and 4 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 弹 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (11)
to run out of ammunition and food supply; to be in a desperate situation
to run out of ammunition as reinforcements are also not forthcoming; to be in a desperate situation
Showing 9 of 11 idioms containing 弹.
Example Sentences
弹字虽然难写，但意思很有趣。
dàn zì suī rán nán xiě , dàn yì sī hěn yǒu qù .
The character "弹" may be difficult to write, but its meaning is quite interesting.
瑞士同性恋群体担心仇视情绪反弹
ruì shì tóng xìng liàn qún tǐ dān xīn qiú shì qíng xù fǎn dàn
The Swiss gay community fears a backlash of hatred
男生小便完甩一下动作标准吗?向前轻弹比左右晃更有效吗
nán shēng xiǎo biàn wán shuǎi yī xià dòng zuò biāo zhǔn ma ? xiàng qián qīng dàn bǐ zuǒ yòu huǎng gēng yǒu xiào ma
Is it standard for boys to pee and shake off? Is it more effective to flick forward than to swing left and right?
016“光忠”号导弹护卫舰启程前往澳大利亚参加2026年卡卡...
0 1 6 guāng zhōng hào dǎo dàn hù wèi jiàn qǐ chéng qián wǎng ào dà lì yà cān jiā 2 0 2 6 nián kǎ kǎ . . .
016 The missile frigate "Guangzhong" departed for Australia to participate in the 2026 Kaka...
...遭美军最高将领泼冷水:“报告总统,我们的弹药库快空了”
. . . zāo měi jūn zuì gāo jiāng lǐng pō lěng shuǐ : bào gào zǒng tǒng , wǒ men de dàn yào kù kuài kōng le
... Cold water was poured on by the top general of the US military: "Report to the president, our ammunition depot is almost empty"
笔下风云:一败涂地 等被弹劾
bǐ xià fēng yún : yī bài tú dì děng bèi dàn 劾
The pen is in turmoil: a complete failure and other impeachment
你会弹都塔尔二弦琴吗？
Nǐ huì tán dūtǎ'ěr èrxiánqín ma?
Can you play the dutar?
我们听到炸弹爆炸了。
Wǒmen tīngdào zhàdàn bàozhà le.
We heard the bomb go off.
我的嗜好就是弹钢琴。
Wǒ de shìhào jiùshì tán gāngqín.
My hobby is playing the piano.
我弹钢琴为她伴奏。
Wǒ tán gāngqín wèi tā bànzòu.
I accompanied her on the piano.
Character Family
弓 Radical Family — Characters sharing the bow radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 弹 (dàn) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 弹 and 蝉?
How many strokes does 弹 have?
What is the radical of 弹?
What are the components of 弹?
What are common words containing 弹?
What characters sound the same as 弹 (dàn)?
Is 弹 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 弹 with real-time feedback
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