领带 (lǐng dài) — tie, necktie | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A noun for the necktie you wear with a suit. Use the verb 打 (dǎ) with it — 打领带 — not 系. Compare 纽带, an abstract 'bond' between people or groups.

noun

tienecktie

Measure word · 条

Examples

领带。
Wǒ sòng le tā yì tiáo lǐng dài.
I gave him a tie as a gift.
领带。
Zhè tiáo lǐng dài hé nǐ de xī zhuāng hěn pèi.
This tie goes well with your suit.
领带。
Tā dǎ lǐng dài de yàng zi hěn shuài qì.
He looks handsome wearing a tie.

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.

领 refers to the collar or neck, and 带 is a band, so 领带 is a neck band.

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 領; 领 is its simplified writing.

令頁領

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yè

Sound part声符shēngfú

令

令lìng領lǐng

Same sound today

The traditional form 領 has 令 as a sound part and 頁 as a meaning part; the simplified 领 is a later shorthand.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 帶; 带 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 帶 was drawn as a woven belt; the simplified 带 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Clothing 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.