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旁边 (páng biān) — side (of something); the place next to something

Definition

旁边 means 'beside, next to' — the spot right next to a person or thing. Unlike 附近 ('the general nearby area'), it points to a specific immediate position, and 边 alone is usually a suffix, not a stand-alone word.

noun
side (of something)the place next to something

Examples

  • 旁边。
    Wǒ páng biān yǒu yì zhāng yǐ zi.
    There is a chair beside me.
  • 旁边。
    Tā de páng biān shì yí gè shāng diàn.
    Next to him is a store.
  • 旁边？
    Nǐ páng biān yǒu diàn huà ma?
    Is there a phone beside you?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

旁pángside
边biānedge; side

旁 and 边 both point to a side or edge, so the word names the place next to something.

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
同同tóng
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng旁páng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 旁, 方 is the lower part and gives the sound. The upper part is unclear and may have been part of the meaning.

Open 旁 →

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 邊; 边 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalking; movement
Sound part声符shēngfú
臱
臱mián邊biān(r)
Same sound today

The traditional form 邊 pairs 辶 (walking; movement) with the sound part 臱; the simplified 边 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 边 →
Appears in
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