TongTong
Sign in

笔名 (bǐ míng) — pen name; pseudonym

Definition

noun
pen namepseudonym

Examples

  • 笔名。
    Hěn duō zhù míng zuò zhě dōu yǒu bǐ míng.
    Many famous authors have pen names.
  • 笔名。
    Tā de bǐ míng bǐ zhēn míng chū míng dé duō.
    His pen name is much more famous than his real name.
  • 笔名。
    Tā wèi le xiě zuò xuǎn le yí gè hěn měi dì bǐ míng.
    She chose a beautiful-sounding pen name for her writing.

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.

笔bǐpen
名míngname

“笔” is pen and “名” is name, together meaning a name used for writing.

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 筆; 笔 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
聿
聿yù筆bǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The simplified 笔 is based on the traditional form 筆, which puts 竹 (bamboo) beside 聿 (writing brush). 聿 already meant the brush and supplied the sound; 竹 was added later to show it was made of bamboo.

Open 笔 →

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
Literature & Poetry

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.