红票 (hóng piào) — discount ticket, coupon; traditional invitation ticket

Definition

Red 票 covers two distinct senses: a discount coupon/voucher (e.g. for shopping), and a traditional red invitation card with gold lettering (used for weddings, events). The 'red' refers to color, not a single fixed meaning.

noun
discount ticketcoupontraditional invitation ticket
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 红票。
    Tā yòng zhè zhāng hóng piào mǎi le pián yi piào.
    He used this discount ticket to buy a cheap ticket.
  • 红票，。
    Qǐng jiǎn shì chuán tǒng de hóng piào, shàng miàn yǒu jīn zì.
    The invitation is a traditional red ticket with gold letters on it.
  • 红票，。
    Gōng sī fā le hóng piào, kě yǐ yòng yú gòu wù.
    The company issued coupons that can be used for shopping.

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.

红hóngred
票piàoticket

红 means red and 票 means ticket; together they name a red ticket or coupon.

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 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng紅hóng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.

Open 红 →

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 𢍱𢍱𢍱to rise high

票 combines 火 (fire) and 𢍱 (to rise high), originally representing sparks rising up.

Open 票 →

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