棚 (péng): shed; shack

Measure Word

一个棚 gè

Meanings

1 shed; shack
2 canopy; awning
3 makeshift shelter

Characters

棚

péng

shed; shack; canopy

Examples

HSK 4

他们在棚子下面避雨。

Tāmen zài péngzi xiàmiàn bìyǔ.

They took shelter from the rain under the canopy.

HSK 5

大棚里种着蔬菜。

Dàpéng lǐ zhòng zhe shūcài.

Vegetables are grown in the greenhouse.

HSK 6

农民在田边搭了一个棚。

Nóngmín zài tiánbiān dā le yīgè péng.

The farmer put up a shed next to the field.

Tips

usage

棚 often appears in compounds: 大棚 (greenhouse), 棚户区 (shantytown), 摄影棚 (film studio/soundstage), 凉棚 (sunshade/awning).

Components

radical

木 mù

tree; wood

Left tree radical - the indexing element. Sheds and canopies were classically built from wood poles and beams, so the radical states the material plainly. Puts 棚 in the wood-shelter family with 楼 (multi-storey building), 桁 (purlin), 栅 (fence), 架 (rack).

phonetic

朋 péng

friend; pair

Right 朋 supplies the sound - péng matches the parent reading with no drift. 朋 originally depicted two strings of cowrie shells paired side by side, the seed for 'friend, pair.' The doubled image suits 棚 nicely: a shed is a structure of paired posts and beams, two parallel uprights joined by a roof - companion timbers leaning together to make a shelter.