便利店 (biàn lì diàn) — convenience store

Definition

noun
convenience store
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 便利店
    Wǒ qù biàn lì diàn mǎi le yí gè miàn bāo.
    I went to the convenience store and bought a loaf of bread.
  • 便利店
    Xué xiào páng biān nà jiā biàn lì diàn pián yi yòu fāng biàn.
    That convenience store next to the school is cheap and convenient.
  • 便利店
    biàn lì diàn Lǐ yǒu yǐn liào hé líng shí.
    The convenience store has drinks and snacks.

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.

便利convenient
便biànconvenienteasy
联合Coordinate

The first two parts mean convenient and easy, and the last means shop, so together they mean a convenience store.

Characters in this word

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

便 pairs 亻 (person) with 更 (to change), showing a person changing posture to become comfortable.

Open 便 →

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

利 combines 禾 (grain) and 刀 (knife), showing a knife used to cut grain.

Open 利 →

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
广广guǎnghouse built to depend on a cliff
Sound part声符shēngfú
zhàndiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

店 shows 广, a house built to depend on a cliff, and 占, which gives the sound.

Open 店 →

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