饭前 (fàn qián) — before a meal | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

before a meal

Examples

饭前。
Qǐng fàn qián xǐ shǒu.
Please wash your hands before the meal.
饭前。
Zhè zhǒng yào xū yào fàn qián fú yòng.
This medicine needs to be taken before meals.
饭前。
fàn qián Bù yí zuò jù liè yùn dòng.
It is not advisable to do strenuous exercise before meals.

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.

饭 means meal and 前 means before; together they indicate the time before eating.

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 飯; 饭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

食食shífood

Sound part声符shēngfú

反

反fǎn飯fàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 飯 combines 食 (food) with 反 for the sound; the simplified 饭 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical form.

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

止止zhǐfoot
舟舟zhōuboat

In the older form of 前, 止 (foot) and 舟 (boat) showed a foot on a boat moving forward; in the current 前 those parts are shortened.

Appears in

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