傍 bàng beside
beside; close; nearby
How to remember 傍: 亻 person + 旁 side = beside. On the crowded bus a kind person moves to one side so the old man with the cane can sit beside.
Component breakdown
傍 = 亻 person + 旁 side
- 亻 person
- 旁 side
- offering stand
- 方 direction
On the crowded bus a kind person moves to one side so the old man with the cane can sit beside.
How it is used
- Almost entirely bound to one word: 傍晚 bàngwǎn "toward evening, at dusk" - a time noun used like 早上/晚上, e.g. 我们傍晚出发 (wǒmen bàngwǎn chūfā) - "we'll set off in the evening".
- The verb sense "to lean against, rely on" survives mainly in the literary phrase 依山傍水 yī shān bàng shuǐ "backed by mountains, facing water" (describing a scenic location) - not used freely elsewhere.
- Outside 傍晚 this character is rare for learners to worry about.