往返票 (wǎng fǎn piào) — round-trip ticket

Definition

noun

round-trip ticket

Measure word · 张

往返票。
Wǒ mǎi le yì zhāng qù běi jīng de wǎng fǎn piào.
I bought a round-trip ticket to Beijing.
往返票。
wǎng fǎn piào Bǐ dān chéng piào pián yi hěn duō.
Round-trip tickets are much cheaper than one-way tickets.
往返票。
Qǐng bāng wǒ dìng liǎng zhāng xià zhōu de wǎng fǎn piào.
Please help me book two round-trip tickets for next week.

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.

往返round trip

联合Side by side

“往” gives the outbound leg, “返” the return leg, and “票” is the ticket, so a ticket for both ways.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

王

Same sound today

The form that became 往 paired 止, a foot, with 王 for the sound; a stepping part was later added, and the right side changed.

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

辶反返

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòmovement

Sound part声符shēngfú

反

Same sound today

返 pairs 辶 (movement) with 反 (sound, with the sense of returning); the whole character originally meant coming back along the path one came from.

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

票 combines 火 (fire) and 𢍱 (to rise high), originally representing sparks rising up.