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银牌 (yín pái) — silver medal

Definition

Silver medal — the second-place award, ranking below 金牌 (gold) and above 铜牌 (bronze). 奖牌 is the general term for any award medal.

noun
silver medal
Measure word · 枚

Examples

  • 银牌。
    Tā zài yóu yǒng bǐ sài zhōng huò dé le yì méi yín pái.
    She won a silver medal in the swimming competition.
  • 银牌。
    Zhè cì bǐ sài tā chà yì diǎn jiù ná yín pái le.
    He almost won a silver medal in this competition.
  • 银牌，。
    yín pái Suī rán bù rú jīn pái, dàn yě shì hěn dà de róng yù.
    Although a silver medal is not as good as a gold medal, it is still a great honor.

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.

银yínsilver
牌páimedal

银 gives silver, 牌 gives medal, so the whole means a silver medal.

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 銀; 银 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn銀yín
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 銀 has 金, meaning metal, and 艮, used for the sound; the simplified 银 is a shorthand.

Open 银 →

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 6

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