拼

• Pinyin: pīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 拼 = 扌(hand) + 并 (together), to piece together

Meaning

To piece together; to spell; to fight hard. Combining parts or giving one's all.

Multiple meanings: (1) to put together pieces (拼图 jigsaw puzzle), (2) to spell (拼音 pinyin), (3) to fight with all one's might (拼命 risk one's life, 拼搏 strive hard), (4) to share costs (拼车 carpool, 拼单 group order).

Examples

1. 小朋友在一起拼乐高积木。 The children are playing together building Lego blocks.
2. 他为了这个项目拼命工作了三个月。 He worked desperately for three months for this project.
3. 咱们拼单买外卖可以省运费。 Let's do a group order for takeout to save on delivery fees.

Usage Guide

Context: games, effort, sharing economy

Tone: active

Do Say

• 年轻时就该拼一拼。(When you're young, you should give it your all.)
• 我们一起拼车去机场吧。(Let's share a ride to the airport.)

Don't Say

• 我拼了一个苹果。(拼 is for piecing together or striving, not for single items)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic: 扌(hand) + 并 (together). To put together with hands.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal