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暂且 (zàn qiě) — for the time being; for now; temporarily

Definition

暂且 is a written adverb meaning 'for the time being, tentatively' — more literary than 暂时. Pairs with 姑且 to soften proposals ('暂且先…姑且再…'), while 暂 is a clipped, neutral variant.

adverb
for the time beingfor nowtemporarily

Examples

  • 暂且。
    Wǒ men zàn qiě xiū xi yí xià.
    Let's take a break for now.
  • 暂且。
    Zhè ge wèn tí zàn qiě bù tán.
    Let's not discuss this issue for the time being.
  • 暂且。
    Tā zàn qiě zhù zài péng you jiā.
    He's staying at a friend's place for now.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

暂zàntemporarily
且qiěfor now

暂 temporarily and 且 for now combine to mean for the time being.

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 暫; 暂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rì
Sound part声符shēngfú
斬
斬zhǎn暫zàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 暫 has 日 (day) for the meaning and 斬 (zhǎn) for the sound; the simplified 暂 is a later shorthand.

Open 暂 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 且 is thought to picture a stone altar, a sacrificial vessel seen from above, or an erect penis.

Open 且 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Frequency & Duration

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