下半时 (xià bàn shí) — second half (of a game or contest)

Definition

noun
second half (of a game or contest)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 下半时，。
    Lán qiú bǐ sài de xià bàn shí, qiú duì de jìn gōng biàn de gèng jiā qiáng dà.
    In the second half of the basketball game, the team's offense became stronger.
  • 。
    Jiào liàn zài xià bàn shí gǎi biàn le zhàn shù.
    The coach changed the tactics in the second half.
  • ，。
    Wǒ men zài xià bàn shí lǐng xiān liǎng qiú, dàn zuì zhōng dǎ píng le.
    We led by two goals in the second half, but finally drew.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

下xiàlatter
半时half period
半bànhalf时shíperiod
偏正Modifier + head

下 means latter and 半时 means half period, so together they mean the second half.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 八 (to divide) with 牛 (cow), showing a cow cut into two halves.

Open 半 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 時; 时 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī時shí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 時 pairs 日 (sun/day) with 之 as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 时 is not the form described.

Open 时 →

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