片状 (piàn zhuàng) — (noun) flake, sheet, slice (a thin, flat piece of material)

Definition

A noun for a thin, flat piece of material — like a flake of chocolate or a sheet of metal. Always used as a modifier/attributive (e.g. 金属片状 'metal flakes'), not as a standalone object.

noun
flakesheetslice (a thin, flat piece of material)
Measure word · 片

Examples

  • 。
    Jiāng qiǎo kè lì qiē chéng piàn zhuàng.
    Cut the chocolate into flakes.
  • 片状。
    Jīn shǔ piàn zhuàng kě yǐ huí shōu lì yòng.
    Metal flakes can be recycled.
  • 片状。
    Táo cí piàn zhuàng cháng yòng yú diàn zǐ yuán jiàn.
    Ceramic sheets are often used in electronic components.

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.

片piànslice
状zhuàngshape

It names a 状 like a 片, a thin flat piece.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 片 →

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 狀; 状 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán狀zhuàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 狀 pairs 犬 (dog) with 爿 as a sound component; the simplified 状 is a shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 状 →

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