便當

See also: 便当 and 弁当

Chinese

		easy, convenient	to be regarded as
trad. (便當)		便	當
simp. (便当)		便	当

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): biàndang

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄧㄢˋ ˙ㄉㄤ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bin⁶ dong³
• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶bi-taon₅ / ²bie₆-taon₅ / ⁶bie-taon₅

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: biàndang
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄧㄢˋ ˙ㄉㄤ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: biàndång
    • Wade–Giles: pien⁴-tang⁵
    • Yale: byàn-dang
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: biann.dang
    • Palladius: бяньдан (bjanʹdan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi̯ɛn⁵¹ d̥ɑŋ¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bin⁶ dong³
    • Yale: bihn dong
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bin⁶ dong³
    • Guangdong Romanization: bin⁶ dong³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /piːn²² tɔːŋ³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶bi-taon₅
    • MiniDict: bi^去 taon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³bi-taan₂
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /bi²² tɑ̃⁴⁴/
  • (Northern: Suzhou)
    • Wugniu: ²bie₆-taon₅
    • MiniDict: bie^去 taon^去
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /bɪ²² tɑ̃³³/
  • (Northern: Jiaxing)
    • Wugniu: ⁶bie-taon₅
    • MiniDict: bie^去 taon^去
    • Sinological IPA (Jiaxing): /bie¹³ tɑ̃²¹/

Adjective

便當

1. (regional) convenient; easy

   • 幸喜本日刮的是北風，所以向東向西都是旁風，使帆很便當的。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     幸喜本日刮的是北风，所以向东向西都是旁风，使帆很便当的。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1907 CE, Liu E, The Travels of Lao Can

     Xìngxǐ běnrì guā de shì běifēng, suǒyǐ xiàngdōng xiàngxī dōu shì pángfēng, shǐ fān hěn biàndāng de. [Pinyin]

     Luckily there was a north wind, so whether they went east or west they had the wind at their side to facilitate sailing.

   • 有一時，就是民國二三年時候，北京的幾個國家銀行的鈔票，信用日見其好了，真所謂蒸蒸日上。聽說連一向執迷于現銀的鄉下人，也知道這既便當，又可靠，很樂意收受，行使了。 [MSC, trad.]
     有一时，就是民国二三年时候，北京的几个国家银行的钞票，信用日见其好了，真所谓蒸蒸日上。听说连一向执迷于现银的乡下人，也知道这既便当，又可靠，很乐意收受，行使了。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1925 April 29, Lu Xun, Jottings under the Lamplight《燈下漫筆》, translation based on Theodore Huters’s version

     Yǒu yīshí, jiùshì Mínguó èr sān nián shíhòu, Běijīng de jǐge guójiāyínxíng de chāopiào, xìnyòng rì jiàn qí hǎo le, zhēn suǒwèi zhēngzhēngrìshàng. Tīngshuō lián yīxiàng zhímí yú xiànyín de xiāngxiàrén, yě zhīdào zhè jì biàndāng, yòu kěkào, hěn lèyì shōushòu, xíngshǐ le. [Pinyin]

     There was a time in 1913 or 1914 when the credit-worthiness of the banknotes of a number of national banks in Beijing was growing day by day; it can truly be said to have been soaring by the day. I’ve heard that even country folk who had always been obsessed with silver realized that banknotes were not only convenient but reliable and were thus quite happy to accept them and keep them in circulation.

Synonyms

• (convenient):

edit

• 便利 (biànlì)
• 便宜 (biànyí)
• 便易 (bīng-ĭ) (Northern Min)
• 便民 (biànmín) (attributive, of a shop, service, etc.)
• 利便 (lìbiàn) (literary or Hakka, Eastern Min, Southern Min, Puxian Min)
• 就手 (zau⁶ sau²) (Cantonese)
• 快便 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
• 方便 (fāngbiàn)
• 省事 (shěngshì)
• 簡便 / 简便 (jiǎnbiàn)
• 順手 / 顺手 (shùnshǒu)

Conjunction

便當

1. even if

Synonyms

• 即便 (jíbiàn)
• 就算 (jiùsuàn)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (弁当):

• → Japanese: 弁当(べんとう) (bentō)

Etymology 2

Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 弁当(べんとう) (bentō).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): biàndāng

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄉㄤ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bin⁶ dong³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): phien-tông

  (Hailu, HRS): pien^˖ dong^ˋ

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): piān-tong
• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶bi-taon₅

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: biàndāng
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄉㄤ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: biàndang
    • Wade–Giles: pien⁴-tang¹
    • Yale: byàn-dāng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bianndang
    • Palladius: бяньдан (bjanʹdan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi̯ɛn⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bin⁶ dong³
    • Yale: bihn dong
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bin⁶ dong³
    • Guangdong Romanization: bin⁶ dong³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /piːn²² tɔːŋ³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: phien-tông
    • Hakka Romanization System: pien dong^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: pian⁴ dong¹
    • Sinological IPA: /pʰi̯en⁵⁵ toŋ²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: pien^˖ dong^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /pʰien³³ toŋ⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: piān-tong
    • Tâi-lô: piān-tong
    • Phofsit Daibuun: piexndofng
    • IPA (Xiamen): /piɛn²²⁻²¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /piɛn⁴¹⁻²² tɔŋ³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /piɛn²²⁻²¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /piɛn³³⁻¹¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /piɛn³³⁻²¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶bi-taon₅
    • MiniDict: bi^去 taon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³bi-taan₂
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /bi²² tɑ̃⁴⁴/

Noun

便當

1. (originally Taiwanese Mandarin) bento; lunchbox

Synonyms

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		盒飯
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	便當, 飯盒
	Singapore	飯盒, 便當
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	盒飯
Southwestern Mandarin	Guilin	盒飯
Cantonese	Hong Kong	飯盒
	Macau	飯盒
	Dongguan	盒飯, 盒仔飯
Southern Min	Taipei	便當盒仔, 便當 GT, 飯盒仔 GT
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	飯包
	Kaohsiung	便當篋仔, 飯篋仔
	Yilan	便當篋仔
	Taichung	便當盒仔
	Tainan	盒仔, 飯篋仔
	Hsinchu	便當盒仔
	Kinmen	飯盒
	Penghu (Magong)	飯盒
	Penang (Hokkien)	包飯
	Singapore (Hokkien)	飯盒
Note	GT - General Taiwanese (no specific region identified)

Dialectal synonyms of 盒飯 (“boxed meal; takeaway food”) [map]

• (Hakka) 飯篼仔／饭篼仔

Derived terms

• 御便當 / 御便当 (yùbiàndāng)
• 火車便當 / 火车便当 (huǒchē biàndāng)
• 鐵路便當 / 铁路便当
• 領便當 / 领便当 (lǐng biàndāng)

Verb

便當

1. (slang) Synonym of 領便當 / 领便当 (lǐng biàndāng)