会议桌 (huì yì zhuō) — conference table; meeting table

Definition

noun
conference tablemeeting table
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 会议桌，。
    huì yì zhuō Hěn dà, kě yǐ zuò shí gè rén.
    The conference table is very big and can seat ten people.
  • 会议桌。
    Tā men bǎ wén jiàn dōu fàng zài huì yì zhuō shàng.
    They put all the documents on the conference table.
  • 会议桌。
    Gōng sī xīn mǎi le yì zhāng huì yì zhuō.
    The company bought a new conference table.

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.

会议meeting
会huìmeeting议yìdiscuss
联合Side by side
桌zhuōtable

会议 (meeting) describes 桌 (table), so it is a table for meetings.

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

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 議; 议 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yántalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
義
義yì議⁰yì
Same sound today

The traditional form 議 pairs 言 (talk) with 義 as a sound component; the simplified 议 is a later shorthand.

Open 议 →

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

桌 has 卓 on top, giving the sound and a sense of high, and 木 below, wood; the bottom of 卓 has merged into 木.

Open 桌 →

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