摊主 (tān zhǔ) — owner of a stall or booth

Definition

noun

owner of a stall or booth

Measure word · 个

摊主。
tān zhǔ Zài shì chǎng shàng mài shū cài.
The stall owner sells vegetables at the market.
摊主，。
Zhè ge tān zhǔ hěn yǒu hǎo, zǒng shì xiào zhe hé gù kè shuō huà.
This stall owner is very friendly, always smiling and talking to customers.
，摊主，。
Měi tiān zǎo chén, tān zhǔ men bǎ huò wù bǎi hǎo, děng zhe kè rén lái.
Every morning, the stall owners arrange their goods and wait for customers to come.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

摊 means a stall and 主 means an owner, so the word names the owner of a stall.

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 攤; 摊 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

難

難nán攤tān

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

The traditional form 攤 uses 手 (hand) and 難 for sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.