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古板 (gǔ bǎn) — old-fashioned and inflexible (of a person's character)

Definition

形容一个人思想守旧、不愿改变，性格固执 (of a person's mindset or character, not their looks). 比 保守 更强调死板、不灵活。

adjective
old-fashioned and inflexible (of a person's character)

Examples

  • 古板，。
    Tā zhè ge rén hěn gǔ bǎn, bú yuàn yì jiē shòu xīn shì wù.
    He is very old-fashioned and inflexible, unwilling to accept new things.
  • 古板，。
    Nǐ de xiǎng fǎ tài gǔ bǎn le, yīng gāi kāi fàng yì xiē.
    Your ideas are too old-fashioned; you should be more open.
  • 古板，。
    Dà jiā dōu jué de tā gǔ bǎn, bù xǐ huan hé tā yì qǐ gōng zuò.
    Everyone thinks he is old-fashioned and doesn't like working with him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

古gǔold
板bǎnrigid

古 (old) and 板 (rigid) describe someone stuck in old, stiff ways.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One reading of 古 sees a shield-like shape above an open mark, showing strength and firmness. Another sees a person spitting out bad-tasting food.

Open 古 →

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 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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