盏 (zhǎn): a small cup, classifier for lamps
盏 (zhǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “a small cup.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 戋 (structural) and 皿 (structural). It ranks #2631 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 盏 a small 戋 dish 皿; 戋 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 皿 (dish) appears in many related characters such as 益 (yì, benefit), 盐 (yán, salt), 盖 (gài, lid).
Definitions
- a small cup
- classifier for lamps
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA small 戋 dish 皿; 戋 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿱戋皿 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 盏 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 马拉盏 | mǎ lā zhǎn | (loanword) belachan (South-East Asian condiment made from fermented shrimp paste) |
| 推杯换盏 | tuī bēi huàn zhǎn | (idiom) to drink together in a convivial atmosphere |
| 灯盏 | dēng zhǎn | lantern |
盏 appears in 3 compound words: 0 as the first character, 100 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 盏 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (1)
Example Sentences
盏字由10笔画组成，结构很巧妙。
zhǎn zì yóu bǐ huà zǔ chéng , jié gòu hěn qiǎo miào .
The character "盏" consists of ten strokes and features a remarkably ingenious structure.
...酒店响应328关灯一小时 熄灯7,704盏守护地球
. . . jiǔ diàn xiǎng yīng 3 2 8 guān dēng yī xiǎo shí xī dēng 7 , 7 0 4 zhǎn shǒu hù dì qiú
...The hotel joined the "Earth Hour" initiative on March 28, turning off 7,704 lights to help protect the planet
从一盏灯到全民行动 欧莱德推动台湾关灯行动16...
cóng yī zhǎn dēng dào quán mín háng dòng ōu 莱 dé tuī dòng tái wān guān dēng háng dòng 1 6 . . .
From a Single Light to a Nationwide Movement: Oled Drives Taiwan’s “Turn Off the Lights” Campaign 16...
万盏灯笼点亮斗六夜 灯海节三天涌人潮
wàn zhǎn dēng lóng diǎn liàng dǒu liù yè dēng hǎi jié sān tiān chōng rén cháo
Ten thousand lanterns light up the night of the Lantern Sea Festival for three days
影/新北平溪3盏20尺大型福马主灯飞上天 天灯节光雕秀炫...
yǐng xīn běi píng xī 3 zhǎn 2 0 chǐ dà xíng fú mǎ zhǔ dēng fēi shàng tiān tiān dēng jié guāng diāo xiù xuàn . . .
Shadow/New Taipei Pingxi 3 20-foot large Fuma main lights fly into the sky Sky Lantern Festival light mapping show...
我买了一盏古老的灯。
Wǒ mǎi le yī zhǎn gǔlǎo de dēng.
I bought an ancient lamp.
他把一盏灯挂在了天花板上。
Tā bǎ yī zhǎn dēng guà zài le tiānhuābǎn shàng.
He hung a lamp from the ceiling.
我会在那盏街灯旁边的长凳上坐下来。
Wǒ huì zài nà zhǎn jiēdēng pángbiān de chángdèng shàng zuòxia lái.
I'm going to sit on the bench over there next to the street lamp.
一盏电灯不亮了，你帮我来看看好吗？
Yī zhǎn diàndēng bù liàng le, nǐ bāng wǒ láikàn kànhǎo ma?
One of the lights is not working. Do you think you could come take a look?
我觉得这盏灯短路了，因为只有我摇线的时候灯才会亮。
Wǒ juéde zhè zhǎn dēng duǎnlù le, yīnwèi zhǐ yǒu wǒ yáo xiàn de shíhou dēng cái huì liàng.
I think this lamp has a short because the light comes on only if I jiggle the cord.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 盏 (zhǎn) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 盏 and 大?
How many strokes does 盏 have?
What is the radical of 盏?
What are the components of 盏?
What are common words containing 盏?
What characters sound the same as 盏 (zhǎn)?
Is 盏 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 盏 with real-time feedback
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