帆布床 (fān bù chuáng) — canvas cot

Definition

noun
canvas cot
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 帆布床。
    Wǒ mǎi le yì zhāng fān bù chuáng.
    I bought a canvas cot.
  • 帆布床,。
    Zhè fān bù chuáng hěn qīng, róng yì dài.
    This canvas cot is very light and easy to carry.
  • 帆布床。
    Tā zài fān bù chuáng shàng shuì le yí jiào.
    He slept on the canvas cot for a nap.

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.

帆布canvas
帆fānsail布bùcloth
偏正Modifier + head

帆布 denotes sail cloth or canvas, and 床 denotes a bed, giving a canvas bed.

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
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
凡
凡fán帆fān
Same sound today

帆 pairs 巾 (cloth) with 凡, which gives the sound fán.

Open 帆 →

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
巾巾jīnkerchief
Sound part声符shēngfú
父
父fù布bù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

布 pairs 巾, a kerchief, with 父 as a sound part.

Open 布 →

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

The 床 shape combines 广, a house, and 木, tree, to show a wooden bed inside a house.

Open 床 →

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