圆桌 (yuán zhuō) — round table | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

round table

Measure word · 张

Examples

圆桌。
Zhè zhāng yuán zhuō shì yòng mù tou zuò de.
This round table is made of wood.
圆桌。
Tā men wéi zuò zài yuán zhuō páng tǎo lùn wèn tí.
They sat around the round table discussing problems.
。
yuán zhuō Huì yì ràng měi gè rén dōu yǒu fā yán de jī huì.
Round-table meetings give everyone a chance to speak.

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.

圆 gives the shape of 桌: a table that is round.

Characters in this word

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 圓; 圆 is its simplified writing.

囗員圓

Meaning part形符xíngfú

囗囗wéi

Sound part声符shēngfú

員

員yuán圓yuán

Same sound today

This is about the traditional form 圓, not the simplified 圆. In 圓, 囗 surrounds 員, and the inner part of 員 is an old circle picture.

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

卓卓zhuóhigh
木木mùtree; wood

桌 has 卓 on top, giving the sound and a sense of high, and 木 below, wood; the bottom of 卓 has merged into 木.

Appears in

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