Chinese Dictionary

Usage of the character 半

half
semi-
incomplete
(after a number) and a half

radius

15th of the month

more than half
a majority
most
mostly

half-marathon (abbr. for 半程馬拉松／半程马拉松 (bànchéngmǎlāsōng))

more than half
greater part
most
probably
most likely

to reduce by half

over fifty percent
more than half

half

second half

half-price ticket
half fare

half bridge (electronics)

semitone

half a lifetime

half-and-half
50-50
to double

half of sth
one side of sth

first half

half of the day
a long time
quite a while

half dead (of torment, hunger, tiredness etc)
(tired) to death
(terrified) out of one's wits
(beaten) to within an inch of one's life
(knock) the daylights out of sb

fifty (usually referring to sb's age)

day care

part-time work

half of sth

halfway
midway

a little bit

midnight
in the middle of the night

semiarch
half arch

middle
halfway

half of a game or contest
half-court

half load

Banpo neolithic Yangshao culture archaeological site east of Xi'an 西安

demigod

half squat

half-moon
fortnight

half
half and half
both ... and ...
just as much ... as ...
equally

half-mast
half-staff

most
mostly
most likely

half (of sth)
halfway through

half a year

latter half

Pinellia ternata

half the day
a long time
quite a while

halfway
midway
on the way

(coll.) half

semiaxis
half axle

half-naked

midnight

semicircle

hemisphere

half of the day
a long time
quite a while
midair
CL:個／个 (gè)

medium-sized

peninsula

half the number; half

half a year

the least bit

to reduce by fifty percent
half-price

half a dozen

midair

fifty (years of age)

more than half
a majority
most
mostly

half price

a portion smaller than a half
the lesser part
the smaller part

the middle of the night

afternoon

Korean peninsula (esp. South Korean usage)

lower half of one's body
Lower Body (Chinese poetry movement of the early 21st century)

centaur (mythology)

latter half (of a decade, century etc)

shàngbànshēn

the upper body

shàngbànnián

first half (of a year)

semi-employed
partly employed
underemployed

semitone

in a day or two; soon

Western Hemisphere

quasi-regular

qiánbànshēng

first half of one's life

the Eastern Hemisphere
the Old World

second half of the year

dabbler
dilettante who speaks as though he were an expert

semiliterate

half a life
only half alive
barely alive
(scared, beaten etc) half to death

(anatomy) semicircular canal

translucent
semitransparent

Southern Hemisphere

first half of the night
time before midnight

to punish a student by having him stand in a half-squatting position with arms extended forward

to be inferior to
to be of a lower grade than

half hour

Hemiptera (suborder of order Homoptera, insects including cicadas and aphids)

bànkōngzhōng

in midair
in the air

semiskilled

semimembranosus (anatomy)

semi-manufactured goods
semifinished articles
semifinished products

meniscus (anatomy)

half-naked

dabbler
smatterer
tactless and impulsive person

semifeudal

bànshēnxiàng

half-length photo or portrait
bust

(music) a half-beat behind
(fig.) rather slow (in performing a task, comprehending etc)

Northern Hemisphere

protractor

archaeological site near Xi'an

the first half (of a period)

erhua variant of 半分 (bànfēn)

half the sky
women of the new society
womenfolk

semitendinosus, one of the hamstring muscles in the thigh

half-open door
fig. prostitute

shàngbàntiān

morning

(coll.) (of one's skills, knowledge etc) limited
superficial
half-baked
sb with a smattering of knowledge (of sth)
dabbler

fortnightly
twice a month

bànchángzhóu

semiaxis
radius

upper jacket

zhèngbànzhóu

positive semiaxis (in coordinate geometry)

first half of the night (from nightfall to midnight)

sitting with one leg crossed (usu. of Bodhisattva)

partly released from productive labor
partly released from one's regular work

semiautomatic

latter half of one's life

(not) a single person
(no) one

semi-infinite

half visual field

middle
halfway

other half
(fig.) spouse
one's better half

second half (of sporting competition)

semifinals

(coll.) a long time

eighth finals

half-life

mid-levels (in Hong Kong)

semiconductor

morning
a.m.
first half of the day

(bird species of China) Asian dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus)

semicivilized

morning
first half of the day

most of the day

half of a lifetime

semiofficial

semiovert
more or less open

(medicine) semi-liquid food

semicircular

semilunar valve (anatomy)

semifluid

local anesthetic
anesthesia to half the body (as for a C-section birth)

qiánbànshǎng

morning
a.m.
first half of the day

a year and a half

semiconducting ceramic (electronics)

galactose (CH2O)6
brain sugar

shàngbànshǎng

forenoon
morning
a.m.

one and a half

yīshíbànshà

a short time
a little while

a short time; a little while

bànzhēnbànjiǎ

(idiom) half true and half false

Bànrénmǎzuò

Centaurus (constellation)

bànláodònglì

one able to do light manual labor only
semi-able-bodied or part time (farm) worker

bànlüdàichē

half-track (vehicle with wheels at the front and continuous tracks in the rear)

hēitiān-bànyè

in the middle of the night

shàngbànbùfèn

upper part; top half

bànmèngbànxǐng

half-awake
half-asleep

shìbèigōngbàn

twice the effort for half the result

dōngxībànqiú

East and West hemispheres

bàntú'érfèi

to give up halfway (idiom); leave sth unfinished

bànkāibànguān

half-open, half closed

Xīnài Bàndǎo

Sinai Peninsula

bànlǎo Xúniáng

middle-aged but still attractive woman
lady of a certain age

erhua variant of 半開門／半开门 (bànkāimén)

Mǎlái Bàndǎo

Malay Peninsula

bàntángfūqī

weekend spouse
relationship involving a sugar-daddy

Zhōng- Yìn Bàndǎo

Indochina

yīxīngbàndiǎn

just the tiniest bit
a hint of

bànmíngbùmiè

dull (lamplight)

bànshùyǐshàng

more than half

xǐyōucānbàn

to have mixed feelings (about sth)

Yìn- Zhī Bàndǎo

Indochina (abbr. for colonial term 印度支那半島／印度支那半岛 ( Yinduzhinà Bàndào))
(now written 中南半島／中南半岛 ( Zhongnān Bàndào))

liánglebànjié

felt a chill (in one's heart)
(one's heart) sank

Zhōngnán Bàndǎo

Indochina

bàndǒngbùdǒng

to not fully understand
to only partly understand

erhua variant of 頭半天／头半天 (tóubàntiān)

bànbìjiāngshān

half of the country (esp. when half the country has fallen into enemy hands)
vast swathe of territory

qiánbànshǎngr

erhua variant of 前半晌 (qiánbànshǎng)

qiánbàntiānr

erhua variant of 前半天 (qiánbàntiān)

yīniánbànzǎi

about a year

yuánzǐbànjìng

atomic radius

see 半瓶醋 (bànpíngcù)

huǐyù-cānbàn

(idiom) to receive both praise and criticism; to get mixed reviews

bàndàxiǎozǐ

teenage boy; adolescent boy

bànshēnbùsuí

paralysis of one side of the body
hemiplegia

Xúniángbànlǎo

middle-aged but still attractive woman
lady of a certain age

Héngchūn Bàndǎo

Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County 屏東縣／屏东县 ( Píngdōng Xiàn), the southernmost point of Taiwan

bànrìgōngzuò

part-time work in which one works each day for a half-day, typically a morning or an afternoon

bànguāng'ānsuān

cysteine (Cys), an amino acid
mercaptoethyl amine

Banpo neolithic Yangshao culture archaeological site east of Xi'an 西安

late afternoon

bànzhímíndì

semicolonial

incomplete
unfinished

Shāndōng Bàndǎo

Shandong Peninsula

Cháoxiǎn Bàndǎo

Korean Peninsula

bànzìgēngnóng

semi-tenant peasant
semi-owner peasant

shìbàngōngbèi

half the work, twice the effect (idiom); the right approach saves effort and leads to better results
a stitch in time saves nine

yīlínbànzhǎo

lit. one scale and half a claw (idiom)
fig. only odd bits and pieces

bàntuībànjiù

half willing and half unwilling (idiom); to yield after making a show of resistance

shēngēngbànyè

in the dead of night (idiom)

Liáodōng Bàndǎo

Liaodong Peninsula

yīshíbànshǎng

a short time
a little while

shallow
not thorough
superficial

yīshíbànhuì

a short time
a little while

bàndà-bùxiǎo

teenage; in one's teens; adolescent

bànjīnbāliǎng

not much to choose between the two
tweedledum and tweedledee

bàngōngbàndú

part work, part study
work-study program

bànbìhéshān

see 半壁江山 (bànbìjiāngshān)

bànshēngbùshóu

underripe
half-cooked
(fig.) not mastered (of a technique)
clumsy
halting

bànpáichūqī

half-life

jiǔzhìbànhān

to drink until one is half drunk

bànyèsāngēng

in the depth of night
late at night

sāngēngbànyè

in the depth of the night; very late at night

bànbiǎobànlǐ

half outside, half inside
half interior, half exterior

bànlù-chūjiā

lit. to enter monastic life at a mature age (idiom)
fig. to change one's career; to take up a new line of work or specialization; to enter a profession from a different background

Léizhōu Bàndǎo

Leizhou Peninsula

bànxìnbànyí

half doubting
dubious
skeptical

yīzhībànjiě

lit. to know one and understand half (idiom); a smattering of knowledge
dilettante
amateur

bàntōngbùtōng

to not fully understand (idiom)

Alābó Bàndǎo

阿拉伯半岛

[阿拉伯半島]

Arabian Peninsula

yīshíbànhuìr

一时半会儿

[一時半會兒]

a short time; a little while

Nánjízhōu Bàndǎo

南极洲半岛

[南極洲半島]

the Antarctic Peninsula (jutting out towards South America)

Bā'ěrgàn Bàndǎo

巴尔干半岛

[巴爾幹半島]

Balkan Peninsula

Kèlǐmù Bàndǎo

克里木半岛

[克里木半島]

Crimea
the Crimean peninsula

bànrìzhìxuéxiào

半日制学校

[半日制學校]

half-day (or double-shift) school

bànrǔtángxuèzhèng

半乳糖血症

[半乳糖血症]

galactosemia

Kānchájiā Bàndǎo

堪察加半岛

[堪察加半島]

Kamchatka Peninsula, far-eastern Russia

Yóukǎtǎn Bàndǎo

尤卡坦半岛

[尤卡坦半島]

Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)

Kānchájiā Bàndǎo

勘察加半岛

[勘察加半島]

Kamchatka Peninsula, far-eastern Russia

Nuòmàndǐ Bàndǎo

诺曼底半岛

[諾曼底半島]

Normandy peninsula

Bàndǎo Diànshìtái

半岛电视台

[半島電視台]

Al Jazeera (Arabic news network)

bànbǎoliúfùzhì

半保留复制

[半保留複製]

semiconservative replication

bànpíngshuǐxiǎngdīngdāng

半瓶水响叮当

[半瓶水響叮噹]

lit. if you tap a half-empty bottle it makes a sound (idiom)
fig. empty vessels make the most noise
one who has a little knowledge likes to show off, but one who is truly knowledgeable is modest

bàndǎotǐtàncèqì

半导体探测器

[半導體探測器]

semiconductor detector

Yìndùzhīnà Bàndǎo

印度支那半岛

[印度支那半島]

Indochina (old term, esp. colonial period)
now written 中南半島／中南半岛 ( Zhōngnán Bàndǎo)

Bàndǎo Guójì Xuéxiào

半岛国际学校

[半島國際學校]

International School of the Penninsula

Yībǐlìyà Bàndǎo

伊比利亚半岛

[伊比利亞半島]

Iberian Peninsula

bàndǎotǐchāodiǎnzhèn

半导体超点阵

[半導體超點陣]

semiconductor superlattice

xíngbǎilǐzhěbànjiǔshí

行百里者半九十

[行百里者半九十]

lit. ninety li is merely a half of a hundred li journey (idiom)
fig. the closer one is to completing a task, the tougher it gets
a task is not done until it's done

huàbùtóujībànjùduō

话不投机半句多

[話不投機半句多]

(idiom) when views are irreconcilable, it's a waste of breath to continue discussion

fùnünéngdǐngbànbiāntiān

妇女能顶半边天

[婦女能頂半邊天]

Woman can hold up half the sky
fig. nowadays, women have an equal part to play in society

bànfēngjiànbànzhímíndì

半封建半殖民地

[半封建半殖民地]

semifeudal and semicolonial (the official Marxist description of China in the late Qing and under the Guomindang)

bànlùshāchūde Chéng Yǎojīn

半路杀出的程咬金

[半路殺出的程咬金]

see 半路殺出個程咬金／半路杀出个程咬金 (bànlùshāchūgè Chéng Yǎojīn)

bànlùshāchūgè Chéng Yǎojīn

半路杀出个程咬金

[半路殺出個程咬金]

lit. Cheng Yaojin ambushes the enemy (saying)
fig. sb shows up unexpectedly and disrupts the plan
sb whose presence is regarded as irksome

yīpíngzibùxiǎng,bànpíngzihuàngdang

一瓶子不响，半瓶子晃荡

[一瓶子不響，半瓶子晃蕩]

lit. a full bottle makes no sound; a half-filled bottle sloshes (idiom)
fig. empty vessels make the most noise

píngshēngbùzuòkuīxīnshì,bànyèqiāoménxīnbùjīng

平生不做亏心事，半夜敲门心不惊

[平生不做虧心事，半夜敲門心不驚]

He who never wrongs others does not fear the knock in the night.
Rest with a clear conscience.