名牌 (míng pái) — famous brand, well-known label; name tag, ID ba… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

名牌 is a homonym with two unrelated meanings: 'famous brand' (e.g. 名牌包) and 'name tag / ID badge'. For 'brand', 品牌 is the more neutral/general term; 名牌 stresses a brand that is well-known and prestigious.

noun

famous brandwell-known labelname tagID badge

Measure word · 个

Examples

名牌。
Tā xǐ huan mǎi míng pái de bāo hé yī fu.
She likes to buy bags and clothes from famous brands.
。
Cān jiā huì yì de rén dōu dài zhe míng pái.
Everyone attending the meeting was wearing a name tag.
名牌，。
Zhè jiā diàn mài de dōu shì míng pái, jià gé bú pián yi.
This store only sells famous brands, so the prices aren't cheap.

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.

名míngfamous; name

牌páibrand; tag

名 (famous or name) with 牌 (brand or tag) gives a famous brand or name tag.

Characters in this word

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

夕口名

夕夕xīcrescent moon
口口kǒumouth

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

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

片卑牌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

卑

卑bēi牌pái

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

牌 puts 片, a flat piece, beside 卑, which gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 HSK 2.0 Level 5 Marketing & Sales

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