八点 (bā diǎn) — 8 o'clock | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

8 o'clock

八点。
Wǒ men míng tiān zǎo shàng bā diǎn jiàn miàn.
Let's meet at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning.
八点。
Diàn yǐng wǎn shàng bā diǎn kāi shǐ.
The movie starts at 8 o'clock in the evening.
八点。
bā diǎn De huǒ chē piào yǐ jīng mài wán le.
The train tickets for 8 o'clock are already sold out.

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.

The number 八 specifies which 点 (point on the clock) is meant.

Characters in this word

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

八 shows two bent lines, indicating the original meaning 'to divide'; it was later used for 'eight' because the words sounded alike.

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 點; 点 is its simplified writing.

黑占點

Meaning part形符xíngfú

黑黑hēiblack

Sound part声符shēngfú

占

占zhàn點diǎn(r)

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 點 pairs 黑 (black) with 占 for its sound; the simplified 点 is a later abbreviation.

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