Kilo Lingo

(dài biǎo) - represent, stand for, representative in Mandarin

dàibiǎo

Traditional: 代表

Line drawing of 代表
Coloured illustration of 代表
HSK 4
#791 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

represent, stand for, representative

Word origin

The word 代表 combines 代 'to replace, generation' with 表 'to show, outside, to express'. 代 has the 亻(person) radical with 弋 as phonetic; 表 originally depicted fur worn on the outside of a garment, hence 'outer, to display'. Together they mean to represent or a representative.

Origin
compound
Root
代 (dài, to replace: 亻 person + 弋 phonetic) + 表 (biǎo, to show)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 代

Stroke order for 表

Examples

He represented the company at the meeting.

What does this color represent?

She is the representative of our class.

She is here on behalf of the school.

hóng

Red represents passion.

代表 (dài biǎo) means represent, stand for, representative. It is used as a verb in everyday Mandarin speech.

Used in

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This word is part of lesson 16.