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摊子 (tān zi) — vendor's stand; stall; (figurative) state of affairs; setup (of an organization, project, etc.)

Definition

摊子 (tānzi) is a noun for a street vendor's stall, and figuratively a messy or unwieldy 'setup' — often used in 烂摊子 ('a mess nobody wants') to describe a troubled organization or situation.

noun
vendor's standstall(figurative) state of affairssetup (of an organization, project, etc.)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 摊子，。
    Tā zài jiē biān bǎi le yí gè tān zi, mài shǒu gōng yì pǐn.
    He set up a stall on the street selling handicrafts.
  • 摊子，。
    Gōng sī xiàn zài de tān zi tài dà le, hěn nán guǎn lǐ.
    The company's current setup is too big and hard to manage.
  • 。
    Zhè ge làn tān zi méi yǒu rén yuàn yì jiē shǒu.
    This messy situation nobody wants to take over.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

摊tānspread-out arrangement
子zǐnoun marker

摊 refers to a spread-out arrangement, while 子 simply makes it a thing.

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
手手shǒuhand
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.

Open 摊 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
Business & Commerce

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