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排行 (pái háng) — (noun) seniority order among siblings (firstborn, second-born, etc.); (noun) ranking, position on a list

Definition

Literally 'line up in a row,' 排行 means a ranking or order. It covers both family birth order (排行老三 = 'the third child') and general ranked position on a list.

noun
seniority order among siblings (firstborn, second-born, etc.)rankingposition on a list

Examples

  • 排行。
    Tā pái háng lǎo sān.
    He is the third child in the family.
  • ，排行。
    Tā men jiā sān gè hái zi, pái háng zuì dà de shì gē ge.
    Among the three children in their family, the oldest in birth order is the older brother.
  • 排行。
    Zhè ge xué shēng de pái háng zài zhè cì kǎo shì zhōng míng liè qián máo.
    This student's ranking was at the top in this exam.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

排páirow
行xíngrow

排 and 行 both mean row or order, so together they express seniority order or a position in a list.

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
非
非fēi排pái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

排 uses 扌 (hand) to show arranging something with the hand, and 非 for the sound; this gives the sense of placing things in a line.

Open 排 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →
Appears in
Family & KinshipOrder & Arrangement

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