栏杆 (lán gān) — railing, banister | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

栏杆 (lángān) is the concrete, physical railing itself — the bars you hold on a balcony or staircase. 栏 is the broader word, also covering fences, barriers, or a column in text/data.

noun

railingbanister

Measure word · 根

Examples

栏杆。
Zhè ge yáng tái de lán gān shì yòng tiě zuò de.
The railing of this balcony is made of iron.
栏杆。
Tā fú zhe lán gān màn màn zǒu shàng lóu tī.
He held the railing and slowly walked up the stairs.
栏杆，。
Gōng yuán lǐ de lán gān nián jiǔ shī xiū, hěn wēi xiǎn.
The railings in the park have been neglected for years and are very dangerous.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

栏lánrailing

“栏” names the barrier and “杆” its poles, together giving the idea of a railing.

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 欄; 栏 is its simplified writing.

木闌欄

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

闌

闌lán欄lán

Same sound today

In the traditional form 欄, 木 (wood) shows the meaning and 闌 supplies the sound; the simplified 栏 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木干杆

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùtree

Sound part声符shēngfú

干

干gān杆gǎn

Same sound today

杆 pairs 木 (tree) with 干, which gives the sound. The 木 part shows the thing is made of wood.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Buildings & Structures

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