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当铺 (dāng pù) — pawnshop

Definition

A pawnshop: a shop where you leave an item as collateral to borrow money, and reclaim it by repaying (plus interest) before a deadline. Often appears in historical fiction set in the late Qing era.

noun
pawnshop
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 当铺。
    Tā bǎ zǔ chuán de shǒu biǎo ná dào dāng pù lǐ dāng le.
    He pawned his heirloom watch at the pawnshop.
  • 当铺。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō miáo xiě le qīng mò dāng pù lǎo bǎn de fù zá shēng huó.
    This novel depicts the complex life of a pawnshop owner in the late Qing dynasty.
  • 当铺。
    Rú jīn chéng shì lǐ yǐ jīng hěn shǎo jiàn dào chuán tǒng dāng pù le.
    Nowadays, traditional pawnshops are rarely seen in cities.

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.

当dāngpawn
铺pùshop

当 (pawn) and 铺 (shop) together mean a place where things are pawned.

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 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →

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 鋪; 铺 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīngold; metal
Sound part声符shēngfú
甫
甫fǔ鋪pū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鋪 pairs 金 (gold; metal) with 甫 as a sound part; the simplified 铺 is a shorthand.

Open 铺 →
Appears in
Business & Commerce

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