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伴儿 (bàn ér) — companion, partner

Definition

伴儿 is the colloquial, everyday word for a companion or partner — like a friend, spouse, or even a pet you keep close. Note the spelling: 伴儿 is a noun, not the verb 陪.

noun
companionpartner
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 伴儿。
    Tā shì wǒ cóng xiǎo yì qǐ zhǎng dà de bàn ér.
    He is the companion I grew up with.
  • 伴儿。
    Lǎo nián rén zhǎo gè bàn ér hù xiāng zhào yìng huì gèng hǎo.
    It's better for elderly people to find a partner to look after each other.
  • ，。
    Tā yǎng le yì zhī māo zuò bàn ér, shēng huó bú zài gū dān.
    She adopted a cat as a companion, and her life is no longer lonely.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

伴bàncompanion
儿ér儿化

伴 means companion, and the 儿 form is colloquial for a partner.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
半
半bàn伴bàn
Same sound today

伴 puts 亻 (person) beside 半. The person part fits the meaning of companion, and 半 gives the sound.

Open 伴 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →
Appears in
Friends & Social

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