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便车 (biàn chē) — a ride, a lift (in someone else's car)

Definition

便车 is a 离合词: the verb splits as 搭便车 ('to hitch a ride') but the noun is 便车. Say 搭个便车 to ask for a lift in someone's car.

noun
a ridea lift (in someone else's car)
Measure word · 辆

Examples

  • 便车。
    Wǒ xiǎng dā biàn chē jìn chéng.
    I want to hitch a ride into town.
  • 便车。
    Tā ràng wǒ zuò tā de biàn chē.
    He let me ride in his car.
  • 便车？
    Nǐ néng ràng wǒ dā gè biàn chē ma?
    Can you give me a lift?

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biànconvenient
车chēcar

便 means convenient, and 车 means car, naming a convenient ride.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →
Appears in
Vehicles

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