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行当 (háng dang) — (colloquial) trade, profession, line of business; (in traditional Chinese opera) role type (e.g., 生, 旦, 净, 丑)

Definition

行当 means a trade, profession, or line of work — often a traditional or skilled one (a baker's 行当, a tailor's 行当). In Peking opera it also names the four role types (生、旦、净、丑).

noun
(colloquial) tradeprofessionline of business(in traditional Chinese opera) role type (e.g., 生, 旦, 净, 丑)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 行当，。
    Tā gān le yí bèi zi zhè ge háng dang, jīng yàn fēi cháng fēng fù.
    He has worked in this trade all his life and is very experienced.
  • 行当。
    Xiàn zài hěn duō nián qīng rén bú yuàn yì cóng shì chuán tǒng de háng dang.
    Nowadays many young people are unwilling to engage in traditional trades.
  • ，行当。
    Zài jīng jù lǐ, měi gè háng dang de chàng qiāng hé dòng zuò dōu bù xiāng tóng.
    In Peking opera, each role type has different singing and movements.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

行xíngtrade
当dāngline of work

行当 joins 行 and 当, both connected with a line of work, giving trade or profession.

Characters in this word

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

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 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →
Appears in
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