报刊 (bào kān) — newspapers and periodicals; the press

Definition

报 means newspaper; 刊 means periodical. Together 报刊 is the collective 'the press' — a general term for both newspapers and magazines, broader than just 报纸 (newspaper alone).

noun

newspapers and periodicalsthe press

Measure word · 份

Examples

报刊。
Wǒ měi gè yuè dōu huì qù yóu jú dìng bào kān.
I go to the post office every month to subscribe to newspapers and periodicals.
报刊，。
Xiàn zài de bào kān yě yǒu wǎng luò bǎn běn, kě yǐ zài wǎng shàng yuè dú.
Nowadays newspapers and periodicals also have online versions, so you can read them on the web.
报刊。
bào kān Shì hěn duō rén huò qǔ xīn wén de zhǔ yào lái yuán.
Newspapers and periodicals are the main source of news for many people.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

报bàonewspaper

刊kānperiodical

报 refers to newspapers and 刊 to periodicals, so together they mean the press.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →

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

刀刀dāoknife

Sound part声符shēngfú

干

干gān刊kān

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

刊 uses 干 to show its sound and 刀, a knife, to show its meaning.

Open 刊 →

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Media & News