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后备 (hòu bèi) — (adjective) backup, reserve; (noun) reserve (personnel or resources)

Definition

后備 describes people or things held in reserve, ready to step in if needed (a backup team, reserve player, backup plan). Unlike 备用 (set aside for future use), 后備 emphasizes the standby role of personnel or plans.

adjective
backupreserve
noun
reserve (personnel or resources)

Examples

  • 后备。
    Gōng sī yǒu yì zhī hòu bèi tuán duì.
    The company has a backup team.
  • 后备。
    Tā shì qiú duì de hòu bèi.
    He is the team's reserve.
  • 后备。
    Wǒ men xū yào yí gè hòu bèi fāng àn.
    We need a backup plan.

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.

后hòulater
备bèiprepared

后 later and 备 prepared together mean kept ready for use.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 備; 备 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 備 shows a person carrying a quiver, matching the meaning 'ready; prepared'; the simplified 备 is a later abbreviation.

Open 备 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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