Definition
枪杆 literally means 'gun barrel' or 'shaft of a spear', but it is most commonly used as a metonym for 'armed force' or 'military power' in political and historical contexts — especially in the famous Mao Zedong quote '权力是从枪杆子里出来的' ('Power comes from the barrel of a gun'). As a noun, it refers to weapons collectively or the idea of military strength, not a single physical object. You'll see it in formal or political writing, not everyday conversation.
n.
gun barrelshaft of a spear(figurative) armed forcemilitary power
Examples
- 枪杆。Lìshǐ shàng hěnduō zhèngquán dōu shì kào qiāng gānzi dǎ chūlái de.Many regimes in history were established through armed force.
- 枪杆。Tā xiě le yì piān guānyú qiāng gānzi lǐmiàn chū zhèngquán de wénzhāng.He wrote an article about power coming from the barrel of a gun.
- ，枪杆。Gémìng chūqī, tāmen shǒu lǐ zhǐ yǒu jǐ zhī lǎo qiāng gān.In the early days of the revolution, they only had a few old guns in their hands.
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