片 piàn slice
slice; measure word for flat things and areas
How it came to be
A tree split down the middle, and this is the right half. The firewood block is the left half of the same cut: the two are mirror images, and together they are one log.
How it is used
- A thin flat slice/piece - 一片面包 (yí piàn miànbāo) a slice of bread, 药片 (yàopiàn) a tablet; also the measure for flat things and expanses: 一片叶子 (yí piàn yèzi) a leaf, 一片森林 (yí piàn sēnlín) a stretch of forest.
- In compounds = picture/film - 照片 (zhàopiàn) photo, 图片 (túpiàn) image, 名片 (míngpiàn) business card, 影片/纪录片 (yǐngpiàn/jìlùpiàn) film/documentary.
- 片面 (piànmiàn) = one-sided/biased; 片刻 (piànkè) = a brief moment.
- Note the everyday reading is piàn; a colloquial piān appears in some film words (电影片儿), but piàn is standard.
Characters built with 片
Words with 片
- 照片zhàopiànpictureHSK 3
- 图片túpiànpictureHSK 4
- 名片míngpiàncardHSK 5
- 影片yǐngpiàna copy of a filmHSK 5
- 纪录片jìlùpiànnewsreelHSK 5
- 卡片kǎpiàncardHSK 6
- 片刻piànkèshort period of timeHSK 6
- 片面piànmiànunilateralHSK 6
- 薯片shǔpiànfried potato chipsHSK 6
- 唱片chàngpiàngramophone recordHSK 7
- 大片dàpiànwide expanseHSK 7
- 片子piānzifilmHSK 7
- 片段piànduànfragment (of speech etc)HSK 7
- 芯片xīnpiàncomputer chipHSK 9
Example sentences
- 药片都包着一层糖衣。 Yàopiàn dōu bāozhe yī céng tángyī.All the pills are coated with sugar.
- 房子的周围是一片草地。 Fángzi de zhōuwéi shì yī piàn cǎodì.The house is surrounded by lawn.
- 盘子里有一片面包。 Pánzi lǐ yǒu yī piàn miànbāo.There's a slice of bread on the plate.
- 旧照片让我想起了往事。 Jiù zhàopiàn ràng wǒ xiǎngqǐle wǎngshì.The old pictures remind me of the past.