饭堂 (fàn táng) — dining hall; canteen | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Mainland colloquial term for a workplace or school cafeteria, larger than a 餐厅 and offering affordable set meals. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, 食堂 is the standard word; 餐厅 is a sit-down restaurant.

noun

dining hallcanteen

Measure word · 个

Examples

饭堂，。
Wǒ men gōng sī de fàn táng hěn dà, kě yǐ tóng shí róng nà wǔ bǎi rén.
Our company's canteen is very big; it can accommodate 500 people at the same time.
饭堂。
Zhōng wǔ qù fàn táng chī fàn de rén tè bié duō.
At noon, many people go to the canteen to eat.
饭堂，，。
Xué xiào yǒu sān céng lóu de fàn táng, yī lóu shì kuài cān, èr lóu shì zì zhù cān.
The school has a three-story canteen; the first floor is fast food, the second floor is buffet.

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.

'饭' indicates meals and '堂' a hall, giving a hall where people eat.

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 飯; 饭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

食食shífood

Sound part声符shēngfú

反

反fǎn飯fàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 飯 combines 食 (food) with 反 for the sound; the simplified 饭 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical form.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

尚

尚shàng堂táng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

堂 uses 土 as a ground/earth part and 尚 for sound.

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