(tíng) — imperial court; central government (bound form)

Definition

Bound form meaning 'imperial court' — never used alone, only inside compounds like 朝廷 (court, government), 宫廷 (palace court), and 廷试 (court examination).

bound form
imperial courtcentral government (bound form)

Examples

  • Gǔ dài zhōng guó de cháo tíng shì guó jiā zuì gāo quán lì jī gòu.
    The imperial court of ancient China was the highest state authority.
  • Zhè zuò gōng diàn de gōng tíng shè jì fēi cháng jīng měi.
    The palace court design of this palace is very exquisite.
  • Kē jǔ zhì dù de zuì hòu yì guān shì tíng shì.
    The final stage of the imperial examination system was the court examination.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
yǐn
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡈼
𡈼𡈼tíng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

廷 is built from 廴, a meaning part, and 𡈼, a sound part.

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