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斑纹 (bān wén) — stripe, streak, or spot pattern (on animals or surfaces)

Definition

noun
stripestreakor spot pattern (on animals or surfaces)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 斑纹。
    Lǎo hǔ shēn shàng de bān wén fēi cháng piào liang.
    The stripes on a tiger are very beautiful.
  • 斑纹。
    Zhè zhǒng shé de bān wén hěn tè bié.
    This kind of snake has very special markings.
  • 斑纹。
    Zhè kuài shí tou shàng yǒu hěn duō bān wén.
    This stone has many streaks on it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

斑bānspots or stripes
纹wénpattern

斑 refers to spots or stripes, and 纹 to a pattern; together they describe a striped or spotted pattern.

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
文文wénpattern
Sound part声符shēngfú
班
班bān斑bān
Same sound today

斑 uses 文 to show a pattern and 班 to give its sound.

Open 斑 →

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 紋; 纹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
文
文wén紋
Same sound today

The traditional form 紋 pairs 糸 (thread) with 文 as the sound part, giving the sense of a line of thread; this note is about 紋, not 纹.

Open 纹 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6Appearance

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