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便条 (biàn tiáo) — informal note (written message)

Definition

A 便条 is a short, informal written message (a quick note to a person or posted up). It is not 笔记 (study notes) or 通知 (an official announcement).

noun
informal note (written message)
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 便条，。
    Wǒ gěi mā ma liú le yì zhāng biàn tiáo, gào sù tā wǒ jǐ diǎn huí jiā.
    I left a note for my mom telling her what time I'd be home.
  • 便条，“”。
    Tā zhuō shàng yǒu yì zhāng biàn tiáo, shàng miàn xiě zhe "xiè xie".
    There's a note on his desk that says 'thank you'.
  • ，，便条。
    Huì yì qǔ xiāo le, qǐng tōng zhī dà jiā, shùn biàn bāng wǒ tiē gè biàn tiáo.
    The meeting is cancelled. Please inform everyone and put up a note for me.

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.

便biànsimple
条tiáoslip

“便” means simple or informal, and “条” means a slip; together they mean an informal note.

Characters in this word

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

便 pairs 亻 (person) with 更 (to change), showing a person changing posture to become comfortable.

Open 便 →

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 條; 条 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu條tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 條 pairs 木, a small branch or stick, with 攸, which shows a person warned by a hand holding a stick, as a sound part; 条 is a later shortened shape.

Open 条 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6Mail & Messaging

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