bàn
half
我吃了半个苹果。
wǒ chī le bàn gè píng guǒ.
I ate half an apple.
这本书有五百页，我读了半本。
zhè běn shū yǒu wǔ bǎi yè, wǒ dú le bàn běn.
This book has five hundred pages, I read half of it.
我今年十八岁半。
wǒ jīn nián shí bā suì bàn.
I am eighteen and a half years old this year.
一半 (yī bàn)
half
半数 (bàn shù)
half
半边 (bàn biān)
half
全 (quán)
whole
满 (mǎn)
full
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The Chinese character 半 (bàn) for "half" is composed of two parts: the radical 刀 (dāo), which means "knife", and the phonetic component 办 (bàn). The original meaning of 半 was "to cut in half", which is still reflected in its modern usage. For example, 一半 (yī bàn) means "one half".The character 半 has a long history, dating back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC). It was originally written as 丆, which was a pictograph of a knife cutting through something. Over time, the character evolved into its current form.The character 半 is used in a variety of words and phrases related to the concept of "half". For example, 半天 (bàn tiān) means "half a day", 半年 (bàn nián) means "half a year", and 半岛 (bàn dǎo) means "peninsula".The character 半 can also be used in a figurative sense. For example, 半信半疑 (bàn xìn bàn yí) means "half-信, half-疑", or "half-信, half-doubt".The character 半 is a common and versatile character that is used in a variety of contexts. Its etymology provides insight into its original meaning and how it has evolved over time.
