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停泊 (tíng bó) — to anchor, to moor (of a ship)

Definition

Means a ship drops anchor and stays at a port or dock. Distinct from 停 and 停车 (which are for vehicles) and 停放 (parking/mooring vehicles); 停泊 is specifically for vessels.

verb
to anchorto moor (of a ship)

Examples

  • 停泊。
    Nà sōu dà chuán zài shēn shuǐ gǎng tíng bó le.
    That large ship anchored at the deep-water port.
  • 停泊。
    Nà xiē yú chuán zhèng zài xiǎo mǎ tou tíng bó.
    Those fishing boats are mooring at the small dock.
  • 停泊。
    Zhè ge gǎng kǒu yǔn xǔ chuán zhī miǎn fèi tíng bó.
    This harbor allows ships to anchor for free.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

停tíngstop
泊bómoor

停 means stop and 泊 means moor; together they describe a ship halting at anchorage.

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
亭
亭tíng停tíng
Same sound today

The left side 亻 is a person, and the right side 亭 gives the sound tíng; this forms 停.

Open 停 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái泊bó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 水 part shows water. The 白 part gives the sound, and the picture is of a ship staying still after running aground in shallow water.

Open 泊 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Boats & Water Travel

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