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花边 (huā biān) — decorative border, lace; (figurative) gossip, scandal (as in 花边新闻)

Definition

Literally 'flower edge': a decorative border or lace trim on fabric, clothing, or paper. Figuratively used as a shorthand for 'gossip' or 'scandal', as in 花边新闻 (gossip news).

noun
decorative borderlace(figurative) gossipscandal (as in 花边新闻)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 花边。
    Zhè jiàn yī fu de huā biān hěn piào liang.
    The decorative border on this dress is very pretty.
  • 花边。
    Tā xǐ huan zài qún zi shàng fèng yì xiē huā biān.
    She likes to sew some lace onto her skirt.
  • 。
    Yú lè quān de huā biān xīn wén zǒng shì xī yǐn hěn duō dú zhě.
    Scandalous gossip in the entertainment circle always attracts many readers.

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.

花huādecorative
边biānedge

花 gives decorative or flower-like, and 边 gives edge, making a decorative border.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà花
Same sound today

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

Open 花 →

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 邊; 边 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalking; movement
Sound part声符shēngfú
臱
臱mián邊biān(r)
Same sound today

The traditional form 邊 pairs 辶 (walking; movement) with the sound part 臱; the simplified 边 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 边 →
Appears in
Clothing

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