手表

Étymologie et composants

The Chinese word for "watch" is 手表 (shǒubiǎo), which literally means "hand watch". The character 手 (shǒu) means "hand", while the character 表 (biǎo) means "watch" or "clock". The term 手表 is a relatively new word in Chinese, as watches were not introduced to China until the 16th century by European traders. Before that, the Chinese used sundials, water clocks, and incense clocks to tell time. The word 手表 is a combination of the two characters 手 and 表, which together mean "hand watch". The character 手 (shǒu) is a pictograph of a hand, while the character 表 (biǎo) is a pictograph of a sundial. The combination of these two characters creates the word 手表, which literally means "hand watch".