书单 (shū chán) — booklist; reading list | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

booklistreading list

Examples

书单。
Zhè zhāng shū chán shàng de shū wǒ dōu kàn guò.
I have read all the books on this booklist.
书单。
Lǎo shī gěi wǒ men fā le yì zhāng shū chán.
The teacher gave us a booklist.
书单。
Nǐ kě yǐ cān kǎo zhè fèn shū chán lái xuǎn shū.
You can refer to this booklist to choose books.

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.

书 marks books and 单 marks a list, giving a booklist.

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

聿聿yùwriting brush

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě書shū

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

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 單; 单 is its simplified writing.

The form 單 originally pictured a Y-shaped wooden stick with two stones on top.

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