牌号 (pái hào) — shop name; signboard (of a store or business); trademark; brand name

Definition

Literally 'brand + number/name', covers both a shop's signboard and a product's trademark/brand name. Concrete noun, no real near-synonym at this level.

noun
shop namesignboard (of a store or business)trademarkbrand name
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 牌号。
    Zhè jiā lǎo diàn de pái hào yǐ jīng guà le wǔ shí nián.
    The sign of this old shop has been hanging for fifty years.
  • 牌号。
    Nà ge chǎn pǐn de pái hào zài shì chǎng shàng hěn yǒu míng.
    That product's trademark is very famous in the market.
  • 牌号,。
    Tā men zhù cè le xīn de pái hào, zhǔn bèi tuī chū xīn xì liè.
    They registered a new trademark and are preparing to launch a new series.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

牌 (sign) and 号 (name) together refer to the identifying sign or brand.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
卑
卑bēi牌pái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

牌 puts 片, a flat piece, beside 卑, which gives the sound.

Open 牌 →

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

  • 口口kǒumouth
  • 丂丂kǎoexhaled air; a tiger's cry

The shape 号 comes from 口, a mouth, and 丂, exhaled air or a tiger's cry.

Open 号 →

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