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优惠券 (yōu huì quàn) — coupon

Definition

noun
coupon
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 优惠券。
    Wǒ yòng yōu huì quàn mǎi le hěn duō dōng xī.
    I bought a lot of things with a coupon.
  • 优惠券。
    Zhè zhāng yōu huì quàn de yǒu xiào qī dào xià ge yuè.
    This coupon's validity expires next month.
  • 优惠券。
    Qǐng bǎ yōu huì quàn fàng jìn qián bāo lǐ.
    Please put the coupon in your wallet.

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.

优惠favorable
优yōuexcellent惠huìbenefit
联合Coordinate
券quànticket

优惠 means favorable, and 券 is a ticket, so the whole is a coupon.

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 優; 优 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
憂
憂yōu優yōu
Same sound today

The traditional form 優 combines 亻 (人, person) with 憂 for the sound; the simplified 优 is a later abbreviation.

Open 优 →

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

惠 combines 叀, which gives the sound, with 心 (heart).

Open 惠 →

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
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠔉
𠔉𠔉券quàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

券 combines 𠔉 for the sound with 刀 (knife), because ancient contracts were cut in half.

Open 券 →
Appears in
Shopping & Errands

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