二等奖 (èr děng jiǎng) — second prize

Definition

noun
second prize
Measure word · 个
Easily confused

Examples

  • 二等奖。
    Tā zài zhè cì bǐ sài zhōng huò dé le èr děng jiǎng.
    He won the second prize in this competition.
  • ，二等奖，。
    Chōu jiǎng shí, wǒ chōu dào le èr děng jiǎng, shì yì tái diàn shì jī.
    During the lottery draw, I won the second prize — a television.
  • 二等奖。
    Zhè cì zuò wén píng bǐ de èr děng jiǎng jiǎng jīn shì wǔ bǎi yuán.
    The second prize money for this essay contest is five hundred yuan.

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.

二等second grade
二èrsecond等děnggrade
偏正Modifier + head
奖jiǎngprize

The 二 part means second and the 等 part means grade, forming second grade, with 奖 meaning prize.

Characters in this word

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

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì等děng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 竹 shows bamboo strips used for writing and sorting; the bottom 寺 once gave the sound, but now sounds different.

Open 等 →

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 獎; 奖 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
將
將jiāng獎jiǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 獎 pairs 將 as a sound part with 犬, a dog; the simplified 奖 is a later shorthand. The evidence says the dog part's meaning is unclear, perhaps referring to guiding a dog by voice.

Open 奖 →

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