招领 (zhāo lǐng) — to advertise for the owner of lost property, to post a lost-and-found notice

Definition

Usually appears in set phrases like 失物招领处 ('lost and found') or 招领启事 ('lost-and-found notice'): posting or running a notice so the original owner can come claim a found item.

verb
to advertise for the owner of lost property, to post a lost-and-found notice

Examples

  • 招领。
    Wǒ men zài mén kǒu tiē le zhāo lǐng qǐ shì.
    We posted a lost-and-found notice on the door.
  • 招领。
    Shī wù zhāo lǐng chù jiù zài dà tīng dōng cè.
    The lost property office is on the east side of the lobby.
  • ，招领。
    Tā jiǎn dào yí gè qián bāo, zhèng zài zhāo lǐng shī zhǔ.
    He found a wallet and is now looking for the owner.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

招zhāoadvertise
领lǐngclaim

The ideas 招 and 领 work together: to advertise and to claim, as in a notice for lost property.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
召
召zhào招zhāo
Same sound today

招 pairs 扌, the hand part, with 召, which gives the sound, to show beckoning with the hand.

Open 招 →

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 領; 领 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng領lǐng
Same sound today

The traditional form 領 has 令 as a sound part and 頁 as a meaning part; the simplified 领 is a later shorthand.

Open 领 →
Appears in
Society & Public Life

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