换班 (huàn bān) — to change shifts (at work or in a schedule); (m… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A separable verb meaning to change or swap shifts at work (or hand over guard duty). 班 is a separable object — insert 过了, 一次, etc. between 换 and 班 (e.g. 换过一次班).

verb

to change shifts (at work or in a schedule)(military) changing of the guard

Examples

换班。
Yè bān gōng rén zǎo shàng liù diǎn huàn bān.
The night-shift workers change shifts at six in the morning.
。
Tā zài zhè jiā gōng chǎng huàn guò yí cì bān.
He has changed shifts once at this factory.
。
Wèi bīng měi gé liǎng xiǎo shí huàn yí cì bān.
The guards relieve each other every two hours.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

换 means to change and 班 means a shift, so the meaning is changing one's shift.

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 換; 换 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

奐

奐huàn換huàn

Same sound today

For the traditional form 換, 手 is the hand part and 奐 gives the sound; this note is about 換, not the simplified 换.

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

珏珏juépieces of jade
刀刀dāoknife

班 shows 珏, pieces of jade, and 刀, a knife, cutting them into pieces.

Appears in

Workplace & Office

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