档 (dàng) — (bound) file, record (as in 档案); (bound) grade, class (as in 档次); (bound) gear (Taiwan, as in 档位)
Definition
Bound form used inside compound words only — file/record (档案), quality grade (档次), or gear (档位, Taiwan). Never stands alone.
bound form
(bound) filerecord (as in 档案)(bound) gradeclass (as in 档次)(bound) gear (Taiwan, as in 档位)
Examples
- ，。Zhè fèn dàng àn hěn zhòng yào, qǐng bǎo guǎn hǎo.This file is very important; please keep it safe.
- 。Zhè jiā jiǔ diàn de gāo dàng fáng jiān fēi cháng shū shì.The high-grade rooms at this hotel are very comfortable.
- 档。Kāi chē shí yào zhù yì huàn dàng.When driving, you need to pay attention to changing gears.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 檔; 档 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
當
當dāng檔dàng
Same sound today
The traditional form 檔 pairs 木, a tree, with 當 as the sound part. The simplified 档 is an abbreviation of 檔.
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