排场 (pái chang) — ostentation, extravagance, showiness (often with a negative connotation); grand scale, pomp (neutral or positive)

Definition

Refers to the grand, lavish style of an event such as a wedding or banquet, usually a negative judgment about wasteful showiness. Often used after 讲究 or 大 to describe going all-out for appearances.

noun
ostentationextravaganceshowiness (often with a negative connotation)grand scalepomp (neutral or positive)

Examples

  • 排场，。
    Zhè cì yàn huì de pái chang zhēn dà, qǐng le shàng bǎi wèi kè rén.
    The scale of this banquet is really grand — they invited over a hundred guests.
  • 排场，。
    Tā jié hūn shí jiǎng jiu pái chang, huā le hěn duō qián.
    He was particular about the showiness of his wedding and spent a lot of money.
  • 排场，。
    Tā bù xǐ huan tài dà de pái chang, jué de nà yàng tài làng fèi.
    She doesn't like too much ostentation; she thinks it's too wasteful.

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.

排páiarranged display
场chǎngscene

排 suggests arranging a display and 场 a public occasion; together they mean showy social display, pomp, or extravagance.

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
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.

Open 排 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →

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