纸张 (zhǐ zhāng) — paper

Definition

noun
paper
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 纸张。
    Zhè bāo zhǐ zhāng de zhì liàng fēi cháng hǎo.
    The quality of this pack of paper is very good.
  • 纸张。
    Qǐng bǎ nà xiē zhǐ zhāng fàng zài fù yìn jī páng biān.
    Please put those papers next to the copier.
  • 纸张。
    Zhè zhǒng zhǐ zhāng shì hé dǎ yìn zhào piàn.
    This type of paper is suitable for printing photos.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

纸zhǐpaper
张zhāngsheet

纸张 joins 纸 and 张, meaning paper and sheet, to refer to paper as sheets or stationery.

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 紙; 纸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
氏
氏shì紙zhǐ
Same sound today

For 纸, the traditional form 紙 combines 糸 (silk) with 氏 (the sound part).

Open 纸 →

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 張; 张 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
弓弓gōngbow
Sound part声符shēngfú
長
長cháng張zhāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 張 combines 弓, a bow, with 長, which points to the sound; the simplified 张 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 张 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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