告示牌 (gào shì pái) — notice board, bulletin board (for official announcements)

Definition

noun
notice boardbulletin board (for official announcements)
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 告示牌。
    Xué xiào mén kǒu yǒu yí gè dà dà de gào shì pái.
    There is a big notice board at the school gate.
  • 告示牌。
    Qǐng bǎ tōng zhī tiē dào gào shì pái shàng.
    Please paste the notice onto the bulletin board.
  • 告示牌。
    Huì yì xìn xī yǐ jīng zài gào shì pái shàng gōng bù le.
    The meeting information has already been announced on the notice board.

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.

告示notice
告gàotell示shìshow
联合Side by side
牌páiboard

告示 (notice) and 牌 (board) combine to mean a board for posting notices.

Characters in this word

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

The origin is unclear: one theory sees 告 as 壴 (a decorated drum) above 口 (an open mouth), while another sees a tongue sticking out of 口.

Open 告 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

示 began as a drawing of an altar. Extra strokes were added to keep it distinct from unrelated old forms.

Open 示 →

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
片片piàn
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.

Open 牌 →

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