光板 (guāng bǎn) — worn-out fur (bare of hair); traditional copper coin without a distinct stamp

Definition

Literally 'bare board': worn fur that has lost all its hair, or a copper coin whose stamp has worn off. Both senses imply something once-marked now left plain and featureless.

noun
worn-out fur (bare of hair)traditional copper coin without a distinct stamp
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 光板。
    Zhè jiàn pí yī yǐ jīng chuān chéng le guāng bǎn.
    This leather coat has become worn-out fur.
  • 光板。
    Tā zài gǔ wán diàn mǎi le yì méi guāng bǎn.
    He bought a coin without a stamp at an antiques shop.
  • 。
    Shōu cáng jiā duì guāng bǎn tóng qián hěn gǎn xìng qù.
    Collectors are very interested in copper coins without stamps.

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.

光guāngbare
板bǎnboard

光 gives the sense of bare or plain, while 板 gives a flat piece or coin, so it describes a worn-out fur or a plain coin.

Characters in this word

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
反
反fǎn板bǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

板 pairs 木 (tree) with 反 as a sound part.

Open 板 →

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