盏 (zhǎn): measure word for lamps or lights

Meanings

1 measure word for lamps or lights
2 small cup

Characters

盏

zhǎn

measure word for lamps; small cup

Examples

房间里亮着一盏灯。

Fángjiān lǐ liàng zhe yī zhǎn dēng.

A lamp was lit in the room.

街道两旁挂着几百盏灯笼。

Jiēdào liǎngpáng guà zhe jǐbǎi zhǎn dēnglong.

Hundreds of lanterns hung on both sides of the street.

Tips

usage

盏 is specifically for lights, lamps, and lanterns. Don't use it for other light sources like 火 (fire) — use 堆 (duī) or 团 (tuán) instead.

memory

The character contains 皿 (dish/vessel) at the bottom — a 盏 was originally a small oil lamp dish. Think of a dish holding a flame.

Components

radical

皿 mǐn

vessel; dish

Bottom 皿 is the indexing radical — pictograph of an open dish or footed bowl, viewed from the side. Indexes 盏 in the vessel family with 盘 plate, 盆 basin. Together with the "small" phonetic above, gives a tiny dish: a teacup, lamp-saucer, or small wine cup.

phonetic

戋 jiān

small; few; injure

Top 戋 supplies the sound through a drift: jiān → zhǎn. 戋 originally meant "few, small, slight" — that faint sense of smallness fits 盏 well, a 盏 being a small shallow vessel. Same phonetic powers 浅 shallow, 钱 money, 残 remnant, all in the jiān/qiǎn family.