座位表 (zuò wèi biǎo) — seating chart, seating plan

Definition

noun
seating chartseating plan
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 座位表。
    Qǐng kàn yí xià zhè ge zuò wèi biǎo.
    Please take a look at this seating chart.
  • 座位表。
    Lǎo shī bǎ zuò wèi biǎo fā gěi le měi gè xué shēng.
    The teacher gave the seating chart to every student.
  • 座位表。
    Zhè zhāng zuò wèi biǎo shàng xiě zhe suǒ yǒu rén de míng zì.
    This seating chart has everyone's names written on it.

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.

座位seat
座zuòseat位wèiplace
联合Side by side
表biǎochart

座 (seat) and 位 (place) give the idea of a seat, and 表 (chart) shows the seats.

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
广广guǎnghouse on cliff
Sound part声符shēngfú
坐
坐zuò座zuò
Same sound today

座 pairs 广, a house on a cliff, with 坐 to give the sound.

Open 座 →

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
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
立
立lì位wèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

位 combines 人 (man), related to people, with 立, which gives the sound. It was often simply written as 立.

Open 位 →

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

The shape 表 pairs 衣 (garment) with 毛 (hair or feather), originally an outer garment.

Open 表 →
Appears in
Order & Arrangement

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