盾牌 (dùn pái) — shield (protective armor); pretext, excuse (fig… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally a shield used for physical defense; figuratively, any excuse or pretext used to deflect blame or criticism. The figurative sense is the one you'll usually meet in reading.

noun

shield (protective armor)pretextexcuse (figurative)

Measure word · 面

Examples

盾牌。
Tā ná qǐ dùn pái bǎo hù zì jǐ.
He picked up a shield to protect himself.
盾牌。
Tā zhǎo le yí gè dùn pái lái yǎn gài zì jǐ de cuò wù.
He found a pretext to cover up his own mistake.
盾牌。
Nà xiē huà zhǐ shì tā yòng lái tuō yán shí jiān de dùn pái.
Those words were just a pretext he used to buy time.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

盾 and 牌 both name protective armor, giving the sense of a shield.

Characters in this word

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

盾 originally drew a shield, so the shape is a picture of that object.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

片卑牌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

卑

卑bēi牌pái

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

牌 puts 片, a flat piece, beside 卑, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Military & Defense Miscellaneous Objects

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