广场 (guǎng chǎng) — public square; plaza

Definition

noun
public squareplaza
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 广场
    Zhè ge guǎng chǎng hěn dà, kě yǐ fàng fēng zheng.
    This square is very big; you can fly kites here.
  • 广场
    Měi tiān wǎn shàng dōu yǒu hěn duō rén zài guǎng chǎng shàng tiào wǔ.
    Every evening, many people dance in the square.
  • 广场
    Wǒ men yuē zài shì zhōng xīn de nà ge guǎng chǎng jiàn miàn ba.
    Let's meet at that square in the city center.

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.

chǎngopen place

'广' (wide) and '场' (open place) describe a wide open public place.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 廣; 广 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
huángguǎng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 廣 combines 广 (meaning part) with 黃 (sound part); the simplified 广 is a later shorthand, not the full historical shape.

Open 广 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
earth
Sound part声符shēngfú
yángchǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →

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