公布栏 (gōng bù lán) — bulletin board, notice board

Definition

noun

bulletin boardnotice board

Measure word · 块

公布栏。
Qǐng bǎ tōng zhī tiē dào gōng bù lán shàng.
Please post the notice on the bulletin board.
公布栏。
gōng bù lán Shàng tiē mǎn le gè zhǒng huó dòng de hǎi bào.
The bulletin board is covered with posters for all kinds of events.
公布栏？。
Nǐ qù kàn gōng bù lán le ma? míng dān yǐ jīng gōng bù le.
Have you checked the bulletin board? The list has been announced.

Characters in this word

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

One theory sees 公 as a picture of a wide-mouthed, round-bottomed jar.

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

巾巾jīnkerchief

Sound part声符shēngfú

父

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

布 pairs 巾, a kerchief, with 父 as a sound part.

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 欄; 栏 is its simplified writing.

木闌欄

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

闌

闌lán欄lán

Same sound today

In the traditional form 欄, 木 (wood) shows the meaning and 闌 supplies the sound; the simplified 栏 is a later shorthand.