典当 (diǎn dāng) — to pawn | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

verb

to pawn

典当。
Tā bǎ zì jǐ zuì zhēn guì de shǒu biǎo diǎn dāng le.
He pawned his most precious watch.
，典当。
Wèi le còu gòu xué fèi, tā bù dé bù diǎn dāng yì xiē shǒu shì.
To raise tuition, she had no choice but to pawn some jewelry.
典当。
Zhè jiā diàn kě yǐ diǎn dāng zhū bǎo hé gǔ dǒng.
This shop can pawn jewelry and antiques.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

典当 joins 典 and 当, both meaning pledge, to describe handing over goods for money.

Characters in this word

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

典 puts 冊 (books) on a 丌 (table), showing official books resting on a table.

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 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

尚

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

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Appears in