板凳 (bǎn dèng) — (noun) wooden bench; stool

Definition

noun
wooden benchstool
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 板凳
    Zhè ge bǎn dèng hěn jiē shi, kě yǐ zuò sān gè rén.
    This wooden bench is sturdy and can seat three people.
  • 板凳
    Yé ye xǐ huan zuò zài yuàn zi lǐ de xiǎo bǎn dèng shàng shài tài yáng.
    Grandpa likes to sit on the little stool in the yard and bask in the sun.
  • 板凳
    Jiào shì lǐ de bǎn dèng dōu shì xīn de.
    All the stools in the classroom are 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.

bǎnboard/plank
dèngstool/bench

板 'board' describes the material of 凳 'stool', giving a wooden bench.

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
tree
Sound part声符shēngfú
fǎnbǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

板 pairs 木 (tree) with 反 as a sound part.

Open 板 →

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
table; stool
Sound part声符shēngfú
dēngdèng
Same sound today

凳 combines 登, which gives its sound, with 几, a small table or stool.

Open 凳 →
Appears in

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