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殿后 (diàn hòu) — to bring up the rear, to be the last in a group

Definition

A verb meaning 'to bring up the rear, to be the last one in a group.' The 殿 here is not the noun 'hall' — it just means to guard the back of a formation.

verb
to bring up the rearto be the last in a group

Examples

  • 殿后。
    Tā fù zé diàn hòu.
    He is responsible for bringing up the rear.
  • 。
    Tā men diàn le hòu cái lí kāi.
    They brought up the rear before leaving.
  • 殿后。
    Duì wu yóu tā diàn hòu.
    The team's rear is covered by him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

殿diànguard the rear
后hòurear

殿 (guard the rear) and 后 (rear) combine to mean being last in a group.

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
殳殳shūhand holding a weapon
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡱂
臀tún殿⁰diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

殿 pairs 𡱂 (buttocks, giving the sound) with 殳 (a hand holding a weapon) to show hitting the buttocks.

Open 殿 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseOrder & Arrangement

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