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差点 (chà diǎn) — almost, nearly

Definition

adverb
almostnearly

Examples

  • 差点。
    Wǒ chà diǎn wàng le dài yào shi.
    I almost forgot to bring the keys.
  • 差点。
    Tā chà diǎn jiù yíng le bǐ sài.
    He almost won the competition.
  • 差点，。
    Jīn tiān chà diǎn chí dào, xìng hǎo gǎn shàng le gōng jiāo.
    I was almost late today, luckily I caught the bus.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

差chàlack
点diǎnpoint

'差' and '点' give the sense of being short by a little, hence almost.

Characters in this word

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

  • 來來láiwheat
  • 𠂇𠂇𠂇left hand

差 pairs 來 (wheat) with 𠂇 (left hand), showing wheat rubbed in a hand to remove its hull.

Open 差 →

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 點; 点 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
黑黑hēiblack
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn點diǎn(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 點 pairs 黑 (black) with 占 for its sound; the simplified 点 is a later abbreviation.

Open 点 →

Grammar

Appears in
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