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下半场 (xià bàn chǎng) — second half (of a game, match, or contest)

Definition

The second half of a game or contest, paired with 上半场 ('first half'). Also used more loosely for the second part of any event (meeting, speech, performance).

noun
second half (of a game, match, or contest)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 下半场。
    xià bàn chǎng Wǒ men duì tī dé tè bié hǎo.
    Our team played especially well in the second half.
  • 下半场。
    Zhè cì huì yì de xià bàn chǎng tǎo lùn le yí gè zhòng yào fāng àn.
    The second half of this meeting discussed an important plan.
  • 下半场，。
    Dào le yǎn jiǎng de xià bàn chǎng, tīng zhòng de qíng xù gèng jiā gāo zhǎng.
    When the speech reached its second half, the audience's emotions ran even higher.

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.

下xiàlower
半场half session
半bànhalf场chǎngsession
偏正Modifier + head

“下” marks the later part, “半” means half, and “场” refers to a period of play, together meaning the second half.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

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

The shape pairs 八 (to divide) with 牛 (cow), showing a cow cut into two halves.

Open 半 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Sports & Athletics

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