Definitions

tíng (verb) to stop; to halt
tíng (verb) to park (a vehicle)

Etymology

Depicts a swirl of clouds up () in the sky.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "停" is structured as a phono-semantic compound, combining the radical "人" denoting a person with the component "亭" representing a pavilion, which historically suggested a traveler halting at a wayside shelter, thereby linking its etymology to the concept of a temporary pause. This original association with interrupting movement during travel gradually extended to encompass a more general sense of cessation, applied to actions, processes, or states beyond physical journeying. Over time, its usage expanded to include meanings such as pausing, discontinuing, or bringing something to a halt, while its compositional form has remained consistent, maintaining the core idea of interruption derived from its constituent parts.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

一下车。

Qǐng tíng yīxià chē.

Please stop the car for a moment.

飞机在机场。

Fēijī tíng zài jīchǎng.

The airplane is parked at the airport.

止你的行为!

Tíngzhǐ nǐ de xíngwéi!

Stop your behavior!

今天电了。

Jīntiān tíngdiàn le.

There is a power outage today.

因为下雨,比赛止了。

Yīnwèi xià yǔ, bǐsài tíngzhǐ le.

Because of rain, the game stopped.

他把车车场后,走进了大楼。

Tā bǎ chē tíng zài tíngchē chǎng hòu, zǒu jìnle dàlóu.

After parking the car in the parking lot, he entered the building.

如果不水,我们就能洗澡了。

Rúguǒ bù tíng shuǐ, wǒmen jiù néng xǐzǎo le.

If there is no water outage, we can take a shower.

尽管天气恶劣,但火车没有靠任何小站。

Jǐnguǎn tiānqì èliè, dàn huǒchē méiyǒu tíngkào rènhé xiǎo zhàn.

Despite the bad weather, the train did not stop at any small stations.