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场合 (chǎng hé) — (noun) occasion; social setting (especially where certain behavior is expected); (noun) context; situation (broader sense of circumstances)

Definition

场合 (chǎnghé) means the social occasion or setting where certain behavior is expected (e.g. public, formal, informal). Compared to 场景 ('scene' in a film or hypothetical scenario), 场合 is about real social situations and what is appropriate there.

noun
occasionsocial setting (especially where certain behavior is expected)contextsituation (broader sense of circumstances)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 场合。
    Zài gōng gòng chǎng hé xià yào zhù yì shuō huà de yǔ qì.
    You should pay attention to your tone of voice in public settings.
  • 场合。
    Tā xuǎn zé le yí gè ān jìng de chǎng hé qiú hūn.
    He chose a quiet occasion to propose.
  • 场合。
    Zài fēi zhèng shì chǎng hé kě yǐ chuān dé suí biàn yì diǎn.
    You can dress a bit more casually at informal occasions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

场chǎngscene or setting
合héfitting together

场 points to a scene or setting and 合 points to circumstances fitting together, so 场合 means an occasion or context.

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →

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

合 shows 亼 and 口 arranged as two mouths speaking together.

Open 合 →
Appears in
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