辩才 (biàn cái) — eloquence | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

eloquence

Examples

辩才。
Tā shì yí wèi jù yǒu jié chū biàn cái de lǜ shī.
She is a lawyer with outstanding eloquence.
，辩才。
Zài biàn lùn sài zhōng, tā de biàn cái lìng rén pèi fú.
In the debate competition, his eloquence was admirable.
辩才。
Gǔ dài xǔ duō zhèng zhì jiā dōu yǐ qí biàn cái wén míng.
Many ancient politicians were famous for their eloquence.

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.

辩 means debating and 才 means talent, together naming ability in debate.

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 辯; 辩 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

辡

辡biàn辯biàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 辯 pairs 言, meaning say, with 辡, which gives the sound; the simplified 辩 is a later shorthand.

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

才 originally drew a sharp peg, not a sprout growing from the ground.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.