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幌子 (huǎng zi) — shop sign, signboard; front, pretense, cover

Definition

A 幌子 is literally a shop signboard, but in modern use it almost always means 'a front or pretense' — something shown publicly to hide the real purpose. Often used after 以…为 / 打着…的 ('under the guise of').

noun
shop signsignboardfrontpretensecover
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 幌子。
    Nà jiā lǎo diàn mén qián de huǎng zi yǐ jīng guà le jǐ shí nián le.
    That old shop's sign has been hanging for decades.
  • 幌子，。
    Tā men yǐ cí shàn wèi huǎng zi, shí jì shang shì zài piàn qián.
    They use charity as a front, but actually they're scamming money.
  • 幌子，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī dǎ zhe huán bǎo de huǎng zi, què zài pò huài huán jìng.
    This company uses environmental protection as a cover while actually destroying the environment.

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.

幌huǎngsignboard
子zǐending

幌 points to a signboard, while 子 completes the word for a shop sign or cover.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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
Abstract Concepts

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