花坛 (huā tán) — flower bed | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

flower bed

Measure word · 个

Examples

花坛。
Xiǎo qū lǐ zhǒng le hěn duō huā tán.
There are many flower beds planted in the neighborhood.
花坛。
Gōng yuán de huā tán kāi mǎn le méi gui.
The flower bed in the park is full of roses in bloom.
花坛。
Gōng rén zài huā tán páng biān xiū jiàn le yì tiáo xiǎo lù.
Workers built a small path next to the flower bed.

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.

A 坛 for 花, a planted terrace or bed.

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.

艹化花

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

化

Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

Most 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 壇; 坛 is its simplified writing.

土亶壇

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

亶

亶dǎn壇tán

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 壇 pairs 土 (earth) with 亶 as a sound component; the simplified 坛 is a later shorthand.

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