并排 (bìng pái) — side by side; abreast | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Used to describe two or more people or things arranged in the same line next to each other, often as an adverbial before a verb (并排走, 并排坐).

adverb

side by sideabreast

Examples

并排。
Tā men yán zhe xiǎo lù bìng pái zǒu zhe.
They are walking side by side along the path.
并排。
Mén kǒu yǒu liǎng liàng chē bìng pái tíng zhe.
There are two cars parked side by side at the door.
并排。
Tā men bìng pái zuò zài shā fā shàng liáo tiān.
They are sitting side by side on the sofa chatting.

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.

并bìngtogether/parallel

并 (together/parallel) + 排 (row) gives side by side.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

扌非排

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

非

非fēi排pái

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

排 uses 扌 (hand) to show arranging something with the hand, and 非 for the sound; this gives the sense of placing things in a line.

Appears in

Order & Arrangement

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