铭牌 (míng pái) — nameplate, data plate (on machinery or products) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

nameplatedata plate (on machinery or products)

Measure word · 块

Examples

铭牌。
Zhè tái jī qì de míng pái shàng biāo míng le shēng chǎn rì qī.
The production date is marked on the nameplate of this machine.
铭牌。
Gòu mǎi diàn qì shí qǐng zǐ xì chá kàn míng pái xìn xī.
When buying electrical appliances, please carefully check the information on the data plate.
铭牌。
Gōng chéng shī bǎ xīn de míng pái ān zhuāng zài shè bèi wài ké shàng.
The engineer installed the new nameplate on the equipment casing.

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.

铭mínginscription

铭 (inscription) and 牌 (plate) combine to mean an inscribed identifying plate.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 銘; 铭 is its simplified writing.

金名銘

金金jīnmetal
名名míngname

The traditional form 銘 has 金 (metal) and 名 (name), and refers to engraving in metal; the simplified 铭 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

片卑牌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

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.

Appears in

Miscellaneous Objects

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