长凳 (cháng dèng) — backless bench; long bench (typically without a back)

Definition

noun
backless benchlong bench (typically without a back)
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 长凳
    Gōng yuán lǐ yǒu yì tiáo cháng dèng, hěn duō rén zuò zài shàng miàn xiū xi.
    There is a bench in the park, and many people sit on it to rest.
  • 长凳
    Tā zài cháng dèng shàng fàng le yí gè diàn zi, zuò qǐ lái shū fu duō le.
    He put a cushion on the bench, making it much more comfortable to sit on.
  • 长凳
    Zhè zhāng cháng dèng shì yé ye qīn shǒu zuò de, yǐ jīng yòng le hěn duō nián.
    This bench was made by Grandpa himself and has been used for many years.

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.

dèngbench/stool

长 says long, and 凳 says a bench, so it means a long bench.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

Open 长 →

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
table; stool
Sound part声符shēngfú
dēngdèng
Same sound today

凳 combines 登, which gives its sound, with 几, a small table or stool.

Open 凳 →
Appears in

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