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投票站 (tóu piào zhàn) — polling station; polling booth

Definition

noun
polling stationpolling booth
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 投票站。
    Míng tiān wǒ yào qù tóu piào zhàn tóu piào.
    I'm going to the polling station to vote tomorrow.
  • 投票站。
    tóu piào zhàn Qián miàn yǒu hěn duō rén zài pái duì.
    There are many people queuing in front of the polling station.
  • 投票站。
    Zhè ge tóu piào zhàn shì xīn de.
    This polling station is new.

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.

投票cast a ballot
投tóucast票piàoballot
动宾Verb + object
站zhànstation

投 and 票 make casting a ballot, and 站 is the place for it.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
殳
殳shū投tóu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, and the right part 殳 gives the sound of the character.

Open 投 →

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 𢍱𢍱𢍱to rise high

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

Open 票 →

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
立立lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn站zhàn
Same sound today

站 has 立 on the left and 占 on the right; 立 relates to standing, and 占 gives the sound.

Open 站 →
Appears in
Government & PoliticsPublic Facilities

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