白送 (bái sòng) — to give away for free; to give free of charge | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

白送 means giving something away for free — often as a freebie with a purchase, or to get rid of unwanted goods. Used colloquially to emphasize that no money is exchanged.

verb

to give away for freeto give free of charge

Examples

白送。
Zhè xiē jiù shū tā bái sòng gěi wǒ le.
He gave me these old books for free.
，白送。
Chāo shì gǎo cù xiāo, mǎi yì hé niú nǎi bái sòng yí dài bǐng gān.
The supermarket is running a promotion: buy a carton of milk and get a bag of cookies free.
，白送。
Zhè zhǒng dōng xī méi rén yào, bái sòng yě méi rén yào.
Nobody wants this kind of thing — even for free, nobody will take it.

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.

白 gives the idea of free and 送 the idea of giving, so giving is free.

Characters in this word

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

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

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

辶Written in full as辵chuòto walk

Sound part声符shēngfú

灷

灷zhuàn送sòng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

送 combines 辶, the walking radical, with 灷, which supplies the sound; the walking part fits meanings like see off or deliver.

Appears in

Shopping & Errands

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