小摊 (xiǎo tān) — small vendor stall, booth | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

small vendor stallbooth

Measure word · 个

Examples

小摊。
Tā zài lù biān bǎi le yí gè xiǎo tān mài shuǐ guǒ.
He set up a small stall by the roadside to sell fruit.
小摊。
Zhè ge xiǎo tān de jiān bing hěn hǎo chī.
The pancakes at this stall are very tasty.
，小摊。
Měi tiān zǎo shàng, nà ge xiǎo tān qián dōu pái zhe cháng duì.
Every morning, there is a long line in front of that stall.

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.

A 摊 is a stall, and 小 describes it as small or modest.

Characters in this word

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

八八bāto divide; to separate
丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

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 攤; 摊 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

難

難nán攤tān

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 攤 uses 手 (hand) and 難 for sound.

Appears in

City & Urban Shopping & Errands

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