旁

• Pinyin: páng
• Hanzi breakdown: 旁 = 亠 (lid) + 方 (direction) + 冖 + 丷 — from the side

Meaning

Side; beside; other. The area next to something, or something that is related but not directly involved.

As a noun/location word, indicates the side of something: 旁边 (beside), 路旁 (roadside). Can also mean 'other' or 'bystander': 旁人 (other people), 旁观 (to look on). In character analysis, 旁 refers to the side component of a character.

Examples

1. 请在旁边等一下，马上就轮到你了。 Please wait beside here; it'll be your turn soon.
2. 路旁种满了漂亮的花。 Beautiful flowers are planted along the roadside.
3. 旁人的看法不必太在意。 You don't need to care too much about what others think.

Usage Guide

Context: location, everyday, description

Tone: directional

Do Say

• 在我旁边坐下吧。(Sit down beside me.)
• 他就站在门旁。(He's standing right by the door.)

Don't Say

• 说'那旁的人'表示旁边的人 (Don't say 那旁 — say 旁边 or 那边; 旁 typically needs 边 after it for location)

Origin & History

方 (direction, side) + 旁 radical. Originally meant 'to spread out from the side.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal