桩

樁

zhuāng

庄 + 木

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

zhuāng (noun) stake; pile; post

zhuāng (noun) stump

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 庄 represents the sound. Simplified form of 樁.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 庄

About

The character 桩 (traditional: 樁) is a phono-semantic compound. Its semantic radical 木 (wood) on the left indicates a connection to timber, while the simplified phonetic component 庄 (from the traditional 舂) suggests the pronunciation. Originally, it meant a thick wooden post, stake, or supporting pile used in construction. Beyond this literal sense, it later developed into a classifier for counting abstract entities like matters, events, or legal cases.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他把木桩打进土里。

Tā bǎ mùzhuāng dǎ jìn tǔ lǐ.

He drove the wooden stake into the ground.

工人们在工地打桩。

Gōngrénmen zài gōngdì dǎ zhuāng.

The workers are driving piles at the construction site.

这桩生意已经谈妥了。

Zhè zhuāng shēngyì yǐjīng tán tuǒ le.

This piece of business has already been settled.

那桩意外改变了很多人。

Nà zhuāng yìwài gǎibiàn le hěnduō rén.

That accident changed many people.

打桩机的声音非常吵闹。

Dǎzhuāngjī de shēngyīn fēicháng chǎonào.

The sound of the pile driver is very noisy.

他是这桩案件的关键证人。

Tā shì zhè zhuāng ànjiàn de guānjiàn zhèngrén.

He is the key witness in this case.

我们必须桩桩件件都处理清楚。

Wǒmen bìxū zhuāng zhuāng jiàn jiàn dōu chǔlǐ qīngchu.

We must handle every single item clearly.

这些证据桩桩都指向同一个结论。

Zhèxiē zhèngjù zhuāng zhuāng dōu zhǐxiàng tóng yīgè jiélùn.

Each and every piece of this evidence points to the same conclusion.

Related Characters

Component: 庄

Component: 木

桩