半道 (bàn dào) — halfway, midway; on the way

Definition

Literally 'half road' — means halfway through a journey, task, or process, often implying an interruption or change of plan. Pairs with verbs like 放弃, 退出 to flag giving up midway.

noun
halfwaymidwayon the way
Easily confused

Examples

  • 半道，。
    Wǒ men zǒu dào bàn dào, tiān tū rán xià qǐ le yǔ.
    We were halfway when it suddenly started raining.
  • 半道。
    Tā bàn dào jué dìng bú qù lǚ xíng le.
    He decided not to go on the trip halfway.
  • 半道，。
    Bié bàn dào fàng qì, jiān chí dào dǐ.
    Don't give up halfway; persevere to the end.

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.

半bànhalf
道dàoway

半道 means the 半 point of a 道, hence midway on the way.

Characters in this word

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

The shape pairs 八 (to divide) with 牛 (cow), showing a cow cut into two halves.

Open 半 →

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.