餐券 (cān quàn) — meal coupon; meal ticket

Definition

noun

meal couponmeal ticket

Measure word · 张

餐券。
Wǒ yòng zhè zhāng cān quàn zài cān tīng chī le yí dùn.
I used this meal coupon to eat a meal at the restaurant.
餐券。
Zhè ge cān quàn zhǐ néng zài zì zhù cān tīng shǐ yòng.
This meal coupon can only be used at the buffet.
餐券。
Lǚ xíng tuán gěi měi wèi yóu kè fā le yì zhāng cān quàn.
The tour group gave each tourist a meal coupon.

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.

餐 (meal) says the 券 (ticket) is for a meal.

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.

𣦼食餐

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.”

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

𠔉

𠔉𠔉券quàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

券 combines 𠔉 for the sound with 刀 (knife), because ancient contracts were cut in half.