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名堂 (míng tang) — (colloquial) an achievement or notable result (e.g. in 搞出名堂); (colloquial) a variety of tricks or acts (in a performance); (colloquial) a reason or trick (in questions like 有什么名堂)

Definition

名堂 (míng tang) is a colloquial noun covering three loose meanings tied by the idea of 'something notable' — an achievement (搞出名堂), a variety of tricks or acts in a show, or a hidden reason/trick (often rhetorical: 什么名堂?).

noun
(colloquial) an achievement or notable result (e.g. in 搞出名堂)(colloquial) a variety of tricks or acts (in a performance)(colloquial) a reason or trick (in questions like 有什么名堂)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā gǎo chū le dà míng tang.
    He made a big achievement.
  • 名堂，。
    Zhè ge biǎo yǎn yǒu hěn duō míng tang, fēi cháng hǎo kàn.
    This performance has lots of special acts, very entertaining.
  • 名堂？
    Nǐ yòu zài gǎo shén me míng tang?
    What trick are you up to now?

Origin

Characters in this word

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

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

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
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng堂táng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

堂 uses 土 as a ground/earth part and 尚 for sound.

Open 堂 →
Appears in
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