壁板 (bì bǎn) — siding (exterior wall covering of a building)

Definition

壁板 refers to the exterior wall covering (siding) of a building — the material attached to the outside wall, not the wall itself. It is a technical/construction term typically used in renovation and building contexts.

noun
siding (exterior wall covering of a building)
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 壁板。
    Zhè dòng fáng zi de bì bǎn shì mù zhì de.
    The siding of this house is made of wood.
  • 壁板。
    Ān zhuāng bì bǎn zhī qián yào xiān pù hǎo fáng shuǐ céng.
    Before installing the siding, you need to lay down a waterproof layer.
  • 壁板。
    Xīn xiū de bì bǎn ràng zhěng dòng lóu kàn qǐ lái gèng piào liang le.
    The newly installed siding makes the whole building look more beautiful.

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.

壁bìwall
板bǎnboard

壁 wall and 板 board combine to name a wall board or siding.

Characters in this word

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tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
辟
辟pì壁bì
Same sound today

壁 combines 土 (earth) and 辟, which gives the sound. The whole means an earthen wall.

Open 壁 →

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 →

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