餐盘 (cān pán) — meal tray (as in a cafeteria or canteen); dinne…

Definition

noun

meal tray (as in a cafeteria or canteen)dinner plate (for serving food)

Measure word · 个

，餐盘。
Shí táng lǐ, měi gè rén dōu yào zì jǐ ná cān pán.
In the cafeteria, everyone has to get their own tray.
餐盘，。
Tā bǎ cān pán fàng zài zhuō zi shàng, zhǔn bèi chī fàn.
He put the dinner plate on the table, ready to eat.
餐盘。
Fú wù yuán bǎ cān pán shōu zǒu le.
The waiter took away the tray.

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 means meal and 盘 means plate, so it names a plate or tray 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 盤; 盘 is its simplified writing.

般皿盤

Meaning part形符xíngfú

皿皿mǐn

Sound part声符shēngfú

般

Same sound today

The traditional form 盤 pairs 般, which gives the sound, with 皿, a vessel. This note is about 盤, not the simplified 盘.

Appears in