Definitions
(adjective)
foreign; non-Chinese
(noun)
time; instance; occurrence
(numeral)
-fold; times (as in twofold)
(noun)
kind; sort
About
The character "番" originated from a pictograph depicting an animal's paw or hoofprint on cultivated land, which conceptually represented the idea of rotation or taking turns, as in the alternating use of fields or the cyclical tracks left by animals. Its traditional form maintains the components of 釆, often interpreted as an animal's footprint, over 田, meaning field, which reflects this agrarian origin. Over time, its meaning extended from this concrete sense of alternating cycles to denote sequences or occurrences, such as in "一番" for a turn or an instance. This foundational notion of orderly sequence further allowed it to be applied as a classifier for repeated events or actions and, by extension, came to be used historically in terms like "番邦" to refer to foreign or border regions, perceived in a cyclical or sequential relationship with the central state.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
妈妈买了番茄。
番薯是一种健康食物。
他有一番自己的道理。
他们轮番上场表演。
请记住你的部队番号。
这本小说有番外篇。
信封上要写明番地。
古代中国称外国为番邦。