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自助餐 (zì zhù cān) — buffet; self-service meal

Definition

noun
buffetself-service meal
Measure word · 顿

Examples

  • 自助餐。
    Jīn tiān wǎn shàng wǒ men qù chī zì zhù cān ba.
    Let's go eat at a buffet tonight.
  • 自助餐。
    Zhè jiā zì zhù cān de cài pǐn zhǒng lèi hěn duō.
    This buffet has a wide variety of dishes.
  • 自助餐，。
    Chī zì zhù cān de shí hou bú yào ná tài duō, làng fèi bù hǎo.
    When eating at a buffet, don't take too much; wasting is not good.

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.

自助self-service
自zìself助zhùhelp
偏正Modifier + head
餐cānmeal

自 points to self and 助 to help, giving 自助餐 as a meal where diners help themselves.

Characters in this word

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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
力力lìstrong arm
Sound part声符shēngfú
且
且qiě助zhù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

助 pairs 力, a strong arm, with 且, which gives the sound; the meaning is help with strength.

Open 助 →

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
食食shíto eat; meal; food
Sound part声符shēngfú
𣦼
𣦼𣦼餐cān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

餐 combines 食, meaning food or eating, with 𣦼 as the sound part; it originally meant “to swallow.”

Open 餐 →
Appears in
Dining & Restaurants

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