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单子 (dān zi) — list, bill, order form

Definition

An everyday spoken noun for a written list or form — like a shopping list, a restaurant bill, or an order slip. The "only child" sense is rare and unrelated to this everyday use.

noun
listbillorder form
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 单子。
    Qǐng bǎ gòu wù dān zi gěi wǒ kàn kàn.
    Please show me the shopping list.
  • ，，单子。
    Fú wù yuán, jié zhàng, zhè shì wǒ men de dān zi.
    Waiter, check please, this is our bill.
  • 单子。
    Wǒ yǐ jīng tián hǎo le dìng dān dān zi.
    I have already filled out the order form.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

单dānlist
子zǐ

The list sense comes from 单, with 子 rounding out the spoken form.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 單; 单 is its simplified writing.

The form 單 originally pictured a Y-shaped wooden stick with two stones on top.

Open 单 →

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.

Open 子 →
Appears in
Business & Commerce5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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