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金牌 (jīn pái) — gold medal

Definition

A gold medal, the top prize in sports competitions. Use 奖牌 as the general word for any medal; 银牌 specifically names the silver one.

noun
gold medal
Measure word · 枚

Examples

  • 金牌。
    Tā zài bǐ sài zhōng yíng dé le yì méi jīn pái.
    He won a gold medal in the competition.
  • 金牌。
    Zhè shì zhè wèi yùn dòng yuán de dì yī gè jīn pái.
    This is this athlete's first gold medal.
  • 金牌。
    Zhè ge guó jiā yíng le hěn duō jīn pái.
    This country has won many gold medals.

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.

金jīngold
牌páimedal

Gold plus medal names the prize for a first-place finish.

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.

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Sports & Athletics

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