拍掌 (pāi zhǎng) — to clap (one's hands), to applaud | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

拍 (pāi) + 掌 (zhǎng, 'palm') is a vivid, descriptive way to say 'clap one's hands', more graphic than the plain verb 鼓掌.

verb

to clap (one's hands)to applaud

Examples

拍掌。
Dà jiā yì qǐ lái pāi zhǎng.
Everyone, let's clap together.
，。
Tā pāi le yí cì zhǎng, biǎo shì tóng yì.
He clapped once to show agreement.
拍掌。
Guān zhòng rè liè pāi zhǎng huān yíng.
The audience warmly clapped in welcome.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

拍, to clap, with 掌, palm, means clapping hands.

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

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

白

白bái拍pāi

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

拍 puts 手 (hand) beside 白, which gives the pronunciation.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

尚

尚shàng掌zhǎng

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

It combines 手, meaning hand, with 尚, which gives it a sound close to shàng.

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