出版 (chū bǎn) — to publish | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

出版 focuses on physical media (books, newspapers, magazines) — the publishing industry sense. 发行 covers distribution/release (also stocks, currency); 公布 is for announcing information to the public.

verb

to publish

Examples

出版。
Zhè běn shū chū bǎn yú qù nián xià tiān.
This book was published last summer.
出版！
Tā xiě de xiǎo shuō zhōng yú chū bǎn le!
The novel he wrote has finally been published!
出版。
Zhè fèn bào zhǐ měi tiān chū bǎn yí cì.
This newspaper is published once a day.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

出chūbring out; produce

版bǎnprinting plate; edition

出 means to bring out, and 版 means printing plate or edition; together they mean to issue a book.

Characters in this word

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

止止zhǐfoot
凵凵kǎncave

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

片反版

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

反

反fǎn版bǎn

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

版 is formed by 片 and 反, with 片 contributing the sense and 反 the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 HSK 2.0 Level 5 Reading & Writing 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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