TongTong
Sign in

棒子 (bàng zi) — stick, club; (dialectal) corn, maize

Definition

Two distinct senses: the common one is a physical 'stick or club'; the second, marked as dialectal, means 'corn/maize'. The corn sense is regional and informal.

noun
stickclub(dialectal) cornmaize
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 棒子。
    Tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe yì gēn bàng zi.
    He is holding a stick in his hand.
  • 棒子。
    Tā zhǒng le hěn duō bàng zi.
    He planted a lot of corn.
  • 棒子。
    Zhè gēn bàng zi hěn jiē shi.
    This stick is very sturdy.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

棒bàngstick
子zǐcommon ending

棒 names a stick or club, and 子 completes the common term for such an object.

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
木木mùtree, wood
Sound part声符shēngfú
奉
奉fèng棒bàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

棒 combines 木 (wood) with 奉, which gives the sound, to write a wooden club.

Open 棒 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
Miscellaneous ObjectsVegetables

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.