饭局 (fàn jú) — a social dinner gathering, often with a busines… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

饭局 is a hosted dinner with a social, business, or networking purpose — not everyday family meals. Implies relationships and agendas, so it's heavier than just 'dinner party'.

noun

a social dinner gathering, often with a business or networking purposedinner party

Measure word · 个

Examples

饭局，？
Jīn wǎn yǒu gè zhòng yào de fàn jú, nǐ yào cān jiā ma?
There's an important dinner gathering tonight — are you going to attend?
饭局。
Tā jīng cháng zài fàn jú shàng rèn shi xīn péng you.
He often meets new friends at dinner gatherings.
饭局。
Zhōu mò de jiā tíng fàn jú zǒng shì hěn rè nao.
Weekend family dinners are always lively.

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.

局júgathering

饭 means meal and 局 means gathering, so together they picture a gathering around a meal.

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

句

句jù局jú

Same sound today

The shape of 局 pairs 尸, a meaning part, with 句, a sound part.

Appears in

Dining & Restaurants

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