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赴宴 (fù yàn) — to attend a banquet (formal)

Definition

赴宴 (fù yàn) is a formal verb meaning 'to attend a banquet' — used in writing and ceremonial contexts, more literary than everyday 去吃饭.

verb
to attend a banquet (formal)

Examples

  • 赴宴。
    Tā míng tiān wǎn shàng yào qù fù yàn.
    He's going to attend a banquet tomorrow evening.
  • ，。
    Shàng ge yuè wǒ fù le sān cì yàn, měi cì dōu chī dé tài duō.
    I attended three banquets last month and ate too much each time.
  • 。
    Zhè shì wǒ dì yī cì fù zhè me lóng zhòng de yàn.
    This is my first time attending such a grand banquet.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

赴fùgo to
宴yànbanquet

赴 means to go to and 宴 means banquet, so it means attending a banquet.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
走走zǒurunning
Sound part声符shēngfú
卜
卜bǔ赴fù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

赴 pairs 走, meaning running, with 卜, which gives the sound.

Open 赴 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
妟
妟yàn宴
Same sound today

宴 has 宀, a roof, above 妟, which shows a woman and the sun. 妟 also supplies the sound, and the whole shape pictures a woman under a roof with sunlight.

Open 宴 →
Appears in
Dining & Restaurants

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