TongTong
Sign in

午宴 (wǔ yàn) — noon banquet; luncheon (formal)

Definition

午宴 is a formal midday banquet — more ceremonial than a simple 午餐 (lunch) and held for guests or events.

noun
noon banquetluncheon (formal)
Measure word · 场

Examples

  • 午宴，。
    Míng tiān gōng sī yǒu yí gè wǔ yàn, bié wàng le cān jiā.
    There's a luncheon at the company tomorrow; don't forget to attend.
  • 午宴。
    Tā men wèi kè rén zhǔn bèi le fēng shèng de wǔ yàn.
    They prepared a lavish luncheon for the guests.
  • 午宴。
    Zhè chǎng wǔ yàn zài jiǔ diàn de yàn huì tīng jǔ xíng.
    This luncheon was held in the hotel's banquet hall.

Origin

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.

午wǔnoon
宴yànbanquet

午 means noon and 宴 means banquet, so the word denotes a noon banquet.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 午 comes from a drawing of a pestle, a heavy tool used for pounding.

Open 午 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
妟
妟yàn宴
Same sound today

宴 has 宀, a roof, above 妟, which shows a woman and the sun. 妟 also supplies the sound, and the whole shape pictures a woman under a roof with sunlight.

Open 宴 →
Appears in
Dining & RestaurantsFood (General)

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.