摊子

攤子

tānzi

noun #23,076

Measure Word

一个摊子 gè

Meanings

1 vendor's stall
2 booth
3 (figurative) organizational setup; the whole operation; mess

Characters

to spread out; stall; vendor

Examples

他在市场摆了一个卖蔬菜的摊子。

Tā zài shìchǎng bǎi le yī gè mài shūcài de tānzi.

He set up a vegetable stall at the market.

这个摊子太大，一个人管不过来。

Zhège tānzi tài dà, yī gè rén guǎn bu guòlái.

This operation is too large for one person to manage.

他走了，把一个烂摊子留给了我们。

Tā zǒu le, bǎ yī gè làn tānzi liú gěi le wǒmen.

He left and handed us a complete mess to deal with.

Tips

usage

摊子 has both a concrete meaning (a market stall) and a figurative one (the scale of an organization, or a messy situation). 烂摊子 (làn tānzi) is a very common expression meaning 'a terrible mess left for someone else to deal with.'

Stroke Order

摊 tān

子 zǐ