Meaning
桌 refers to a table or desk, one of the most common pieces of furniture in daily life. It can be used for dining, working, studying, or any flat surface where activities take place. The character contains the wood radical 木, indicating its original connection to wooden furniture.
Usage
桌 is almost always used with a measure word (typically 张) when counting tables. In modern usage, it often appears in compounds like 桌子 (zhuōzi) in spoken Mandarin, though 桌 alone is perfectly acceptable and common in written Chinese and certain set phrases. It's used across all registers from casual to formal.
Examples
- 01请把书放在桌上。.Please put the books on the table.
- 02我们订了两张桌。.We reserved two tables.
Measure words
- 张一张桌
Common collocations
- 一张桌one table
- 圆桌round table
- 办公桌office desk
- 书桌desk, study table
Origin
The character 桌 is a relatively recent form. It contains the wood radical 木 at the bottom, suggesting furniture made from wood. The top component 卓 originally meant 'tall' or 'elevated', reflecting the elevated flat surface of a table.