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银行 (yín háng) — bank

Definition

银行 (yínháng) is a financial institution where you keep, withdraw, or borrow money — always 银行 for this meaning, never confuse with 岸, the bank of a river.

noun
bank
Measure word · 家, 个

Examples

  • 银行。
    Wǒ qù yín háng qǔ qián.
    I go to the bank to withdraw money.
  • 银行。
    Zhè jiā yín háng zǎo shàng jiǔ diǎn kāi mén.
    This bank opens at 9 am.
  • 银行。
    Tā zài yín háng gōng zuò.
    He works at a bank.

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
行xíngtrade

“银” (silver) and “行” (trade) combine to mean a money-trading business.

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 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →
Appears in
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