谈判桌 (tán pàn zhuō) — conference table; negotiating table (literal and figurative)

Definition

noun
conference tablenegotiating table (literal and figurative)
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 谈判桌，。
    Shuāng fāng dài biǎo zuò zài tán pàn zhuō liǎng biān, kāi shǐ le xīn yì lún duì huà.
    Representatives from both sides sat on opposite sides of the negotiating table and began a new round of dialogue.
  • ，谈判桌。
    Jīng guò jǐ gè yuè de jiāng jú, tā men zhōng yú huí dào le tán pàn zhuō.
    After months of deadlock, they finally returned to the negotiating table.
  • 谈判桌。
    Huì yì shì zhōng yāng bǎi zhe yì zhāng jù dà de tán pàn zhuō.
    A huge conference table was placed in the center of the meeting room.

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.

谈判negotiate
谈tántalk判pànjudge
联合Side by side
桌zhuōtable

谈 (talk) and 判 (judge) form negotiate, and 桌 is the table.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 談; 谈 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
炎
炎yán談tán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 谈, the traditional form 談 pairs 言 (speech) with 炎 (yán) as the sound part.

Open 谈 →

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
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
半
半bàn判pàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

判 combines 刀, a knife, with 半, which provides the sound.

Open 判 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

桌 has 卓 on top, giving the sound and a sense of high, and 木 below, wood; the bottom of 卓 has merged into 木.

Open 桌 →

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