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点名 (diǎn míng) — to call the roll, to take attendance; to mention someone by name (especially to praise or criticize)

Definition

A verb for singling someone out by name — usually a teacher/boss calling the roll to check who's there, or naming a person publicly to praise or criticize them.

verb
to call the rollto take attendanceto mention someone by name (especially to praise or criticize)

Examples

  • ，点名。
    Shàng kè shí, lǎo shī xiān diǎn míng.
    When class starts, the teacher first calls the roll.
  • 。
    Lǎo shī diǎn le sān cì míng cái què dìng shuí méi lái.
    The teacher called the roll three times to determine who was absent.
  • 点名。
    Jīng lǐ zài huì shàng diǎn míng biǎo yáng le tā.
    The manager praised him by name at the meeting.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

点diǎncall/check
名míngname

点 means to call or check, and 名 means name; together they describe calling out names.

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 點; 点 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
黑黑hēiblack
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn點diǎn(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 點 pairs 黑 (black) with 占 for its sound; the simplified 点 is a later abbreviation.

Open 点 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4School & Education

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