TongTong
Sign in

代表 (dài biǎo) — representative, delegate; to represent, to stand for; on behalf of

Definition

As a verb, 代表 means 'to represent / on behalf of' (e.g. 我代表全班) — close to 替 (tì) but more formal, used for groups or official roles rather than casual favors. As a noun it means the 'representative' person themselves.

representativedelegateto representto stand foron behalf of
Measure word · 位, 个, 名

Examples

  • 代表。
    Tā shì wǒ men bān de dài biǎo.
    He is the representative of our class.
  • 代表。
    Zhè zhāng huà dài biǎo le tā de xīn qíng.
    This painting is incomplete in the hanzi field.
  • 。
    Wǒ dài biǎo quán bān tóng xué huān yíng nǐ.
    I welcome you on behalf of the whole class.

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.

代dàion behalf of
表biǎoexpress

代 contributes on behalf of and 表 contributes express, so the whole means to express on behalf.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
弋
弋yì代dài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 代, 亻 shows a person, and 弋 gives the sound.

Open 代 →

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

The shape 表 pairs 衣 (garment) with 毛 (hair or feather), originally an outer garment.

Open 表 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 41000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsSocial Roles & Status2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.