绝版 (jué bǎn) — (verb) go out of print; no longer published

Definition

A verb meaning a book is no longer printed or published. Splits as 绝了版 (verb-object separable), as in 这本书绝了版.

verb
go out of printno longer published

Examples

  • 绝版。
    Nà běn xiǎo shuō yǐ jīng jué bǎn duō nián le.
    That novel has been out of print for many years.
  • ，。
    Zhè běn cí diǎn jué le bǎn, shì miàn shàng zài yě mǎi bú dào le.
    This dictionary has gone out of print; you can no longer find it on the market.
  • ，绝版。
    Yīn wèi xiāo liàng bù hǎo, zhè běn shū hěn kuài jiù jué bǎn le.
    Because sales were poor, this book quickly went out of print.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

绝juécut off
版bǎnprinting block

绝 (cut off) and 版 (printing block) together mean the edition is no longer available.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →

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
片片piàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
反
反fǎn版bǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

版 is formed by 片 and 反, with 片 contributing the sense and 反 the sound.

Open 版 →

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