陪 (péi) — to accompany, to keep (someone) company
Definition
A common verb for going along with someone, often as the focus of the action (陪 someone to do something). Compared with the formal 陪同 and the more literary 陪伴, 陪 is the everyday spoken choice.
verb
to accompanyto keep (someone) company
Examples
- 陪。Wǒ péi nǐ qù yī yuàn.I'll accompany you to the hospital.
- 陪。Tā měi tiān péi hái zi zuò zuò yè.She accompanies the child to do homework every day.
- 陪。Zhōu mò wǒ péi péng you guàng jiē.On weekends I accompany friends to go shopping.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
阜阜fùsoil mountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu陪péi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
陪 pairs 阜, a mound of piled-up soil, with 咅 as a sound part; the mound gives the sense of joining up or staying close, as in accompanying.
Appears in
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