片

piān, piàn

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

piàn (noun) slice; piece; sheet; strip

piàn (verb) to slice; to cut thin

piān (noun) disk; CD; DVD

piàn (particle) measure word for spices; pills; stretches of land

Etymology

Pictograph of a slice of a tree, taken from the right half of 木 (tree).

About

Originally a pictograph of a slice of a tree, 片 takes its shape from the right half of 木 (tree). Its earliest meaning was a flat, thin slice of wood or timber split from a larger log. Over time, the meaning expanded beyond wood to any thin, flat piece or flake of various materials, and it eventually became a widely used measure word for flat objects, slices of food, pieces of land, and even abstract concepts like a stretch of scenery or a brief period of time.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我有一片面包。

Wǒ yǒu yī piàn miàn bāo.

I have a piece of bread.

这张照片很好看。

Zhè zhāng zhào piàn hěn hǎo kàn.

This photo looks good.

请收下我的名片。

Qǐng shōu xià wǒ de míng piàn.

Please accept my business card.

这个片段来自电影。

Zhè gè piàn duàn lái zì diàn yǐng.

This clip is from a movie.

他的说法很片面。

Tā de shuō fǎ hěn piàn miàn.

His statement is one-sided.

手机芯片速度很快。

Shǒu jī xīn piàn sù dù hěn kuài.

The mobile phone chip is very fast.

她喜欢听唱片音乐。

Tā xǐ huān tīng chàng piàn yīn yuè.

She likes listening to record music.

这片区域禁止进入。

Zhè piàn qū yù jìn zhǐ jìn rù.

This area is prohibited from entering.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 片

片