记分牌 (jì fēn pái) — scoreboard

Definition

noun
scoreboard
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 记分牌。
    Lán qiú chǎng shàng de jì fēn pái huài le.
    The scoreboard on the basketball court is broken.
  • 记分牌，。
    Cái pàn kàn le kàn jì fēn pái, xuān bù jié guǒ.
    The referee looked at the scoreboard and announced the result.
  • 记分牌。
    jì fēn pái Shàng xiǎn shì wǒ men duì lǐng xiān shí fēn.
    The scoreboard shows our team is leading by ten points.

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.

记分record points
记jìrecord分fēnpoints
动宾Verb + object
牌páiboard

记分 gives recording points and 牌 gives a board, so the whole is a scoreboard.

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 記; 记 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech; words
Sound part声符shēngfú
己
己jǐ記jì
Same sound today

The traditional form 記 pairs 言 (speech; words) with 己 as a sound part; the simplified 记 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 记 →

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

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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
卑
卑bēi牌pái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

牌 puts 片, a flat piece, beside 卑, which gives the sound.

Open 牌 →

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