TongTong
Sign in

面包车 (miàn bāo chē) — minibus, van

Definition

noun
minibusvan
Measure word · 辆

Examples

  • 面包车。
    Wǒ kāi le yí liàng miàn bāo chē qù jiē péng you.
    I drove a van to pick up a friend.
  • 面包车。
    Zhè liàng miàn bāo chē kě yǐ zuò qī gè rén.
    This minibus can seat seven people.
  • 面包车。
    Tā men yòng miàn bāo chē yùn huò.
    They use a van to transport goods.

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.

面包bread
面miànflour包bāobun
偏正Modifier + head
车chēvehicle

面包 suggests bread, and 车 suggests vehicle, together a van shaped like a loaf.

Characters in this word

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

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

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

The shape of 包 pictures a fetus in a womb, or a baby wrapped in cloth.

Open 包 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →
Appears in
Vehicles

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.