半路 (bàn lù) — midpoint of a journey; halfway point; (figurati… | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

半路 means 'halfway, midway' — literally 'half the road.' Most often used figuratively, as in 半途而废 (give up halfway) or 走到半路 (get partway there).

noun

midpoint of a journeyhalfway point(figurative) midway through a processpartway

Examples

半路。
Wǒ men zǒu dào bàn lù tū rán xià qǐ le dà yǔ.
We were halfway there when it suddenly started raining heavily.
半路。
Tā zài bàn lù shang yù dào le yí gè lǎo péng you.
He ran into an old friend on the way.
半路，。
Zhè ge xiàng mù bù néng bàn lù ér fèi, bì xū zuò wán.
This project can't be abandoned halfway; we must finish it.

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.

The sense of half and road gives the midpoint of a journey.

Characters in this word

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

八八bāto divide
牛牛niúcow

The shape pairs 八 (to divide) with 牛 (cow), showing a cow cut into two halves.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

各

各gè路lù

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

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

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