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满贯 (mǎn guàn) — to reach the limit; to achieve a perfect score

Definition

满贯 is a sports/games term meaning 'grand slam' or 'perfect score' — a complete sweep of every target (matches, points, rings). Used in tennis, snooker, gymnastics, and similar contexts.

verb
to reach the limitto achieve a perfect score

Examples

  • 满贯。
    Tā yíng dé le wǎng qiú dà mǎn guàn.
    He won the tennis grand slam.
  • 满贯。
    Zhè cì kǎo shì tā dé le mǎn guàn.
    He got a perfect score on this exam.
  • 满贯。
    Tā de nǔ lì zhōng yú dá dào le mǎn guàn.
    His efforts finally reached the limit.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

满mǎnfull
贯guànstring

“满” gives full and “贯” gives a string, so a full string suggests the maximum.

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 滿; 满 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㒼
㒼㒼滿mǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 滿 pairs 水, showing water, with 㒼, giving the sound. The simplified 满 is a later shorthand, not the original shape.

Open 满 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貫; 贯 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 貫 originally showed two shells strung together; the simplified 贯 is a later abbreviation.

Open 贯 →
Appears in
Sports & AthleticsSuccess & Failure

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