TongTong
Sign in

板子 (bǎn zi) — board, plank (a flat piece of wood or other rigid material); (historical) a bamboo or birch implement used for corporal punishment

Definition

Means 'board' or 'plank' — a flat rigid piece of wood. It also refers to a bamboo or birch paddle historically used to strike students in old-style schools.

noun
boardplank (a flat piece of wood or other rigid material)(historical) a bamboo or birch implement used for corporal punishment
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 板子。
    Tā yòng yí kuài bǎn zi bǎ zhuō zi xiū hǎo le.
    He fixed the table with a board.
  • 塾板子。
    Gǔ dài sī shú xiān sheng cháng yòng bǎn zi jiào xùn xué shēng.
    In ancient private schools, teachers often used a birch to discipline students.
  • 板子，。
    Zhè kuài bǎn zi yòu hòu yòu jiē shi, kě yǐ yòng lái zuò shū jià.
    This plank is thick and sturdy — it can be used to make a bookshelf.

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.

板bǎnboard
子zǐsuffix

板 means 'board', and 子 completes the everyday word for a board.

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
反
反fǎn板bǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

板 pairs 木 (tree) with 反 as a sound part.

Open 板 →

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
Miscellaneous Objects

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.