(tàng) — (classifier) for trips, journeys, or times of going somewhere and coming back

Definition

A measure word for one round trip: pair it with 去一趟 / 跑一趟, where the verb covers the going and the coming back as one count.

classifier
for trips, journeys, or times of going somewhere and coming back

Examples

  • Wǒ míng tiān yào qù yí tàng shàng hǎi.
    I need to make a trip to Shanghai tomorrow.
  • Tā pǎo le hǎo jǐ tàng cái bàn wán shǒu xù.
    He made several trips before finishing the procedures.
  • Zhè yí tàng ràng wǒ hěn kāi xīn
    This trip made me very happy.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
zǒurun
Sound part声符shēngfú
shàngtàng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

趟 pairs 走, meaning run, with 尚, which gives the sound.

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