篮 (lán) — basket (bound form, used in compounds); basketball hoop; basket (in basketball)
Definition
篮 (lán) is almost never used alone — it's a bound form meaning 'basket' that always attaches to another character (e.g. 篮球 basketball, 篮子 basket). Don't use it by itself; pair it with 筐 kuāng for 'basket' as a container.
bound form
basket (bound form, used in compounds)basketball hoopbasket (in basketball)
Examples
- 。Tā xǐ huan dǎ lán qiú.He likes to play basketball.
- 。Tā bǎ shuǐ guǒ fàng jìn lán zi lǐ.She put the fruit into the basket.
- 。Zhè ge lán kuāng hěn gāo.This basketball hoop is very high.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 籃; 篮 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān籃lán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 籃 puts 竹 (bamboo) over 監, which gives the sound; the simplified 篮 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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