Tag: watch (2)

Someone is lying flat on the sofa with their head under a glass table, watching the phone that rests on the glass above their face. That flat-out position is 躺.

躺 (tǎng) means to lie, as in lying on your back or your side. It is about body position and has nothing to do with telling a lie. 躺下 (tǎng xià) means to lie down.

我想躺一会儿。 — Wǒ xiǎng tǎng yíhuìr. — I want to lie down for a while.

他躺在沙发上。 — Tā tǎng zài shāfā shang. — He is lying on the sofa.

A watch strapped on inside a sliced apple: a very literal Apple Watch. The watch on your wrist is a 手表.

手表 (shǒu biǎo) means “wristwatch.” 手 is hand and 表 is a watch or meter. Count watches with 块 (kuài): 一块手表 (yí kuài shǒubiǎo).

Two third tones in a row change the first one to a rising tone, so 手表 is pronounced shóu biǎo. That is the spelling in the drawing.

我的手表坏了。 — Wǒ de shǒubiǎo huài le. — My watch is broken.

这块手表很贵。 — Zhè kuài shǒubiǎo hěn guì. — This watch is expensive.