半辈子 (bàn bèi zi) — half a lifetime | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

half a lifetime

半辈子，。
Tā yǐ jīng gōng zuò le bàn bèi zi, yě gāi xiū xi le.
He has worked for half a lifetime; he should rest now.
半辈子，。
bàn bèi zi Guò qù le, tā hái zài jiān chí zì jǐ de mèng xiǎng.
Half a lifetime has passed, and he still persists in his dream.
半辈子。
Tā yòng bàn bèi zi de shí jiān xué huì le zhè mén shǒu yì.
He spent half a lifetime learning this craft.

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.

辈子lifetime

后缀Suffix

半 means half, and 辈子 denotes a whole span of life; together they refer to half a lifetime.

Characters in this word

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

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 輩; 辈 is its simplified writing.

車非輩

Meaning part形符xíngfú

車車jū

Sound part声符shēngfú

非

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

The traditional form 輩 pairs 車 (vehicle) with 非, which gives the sound; this describes 輩, not the simplified 辈.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

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