small coin; penny
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
a small coin; a copper coin
informalOriginally referred to small, holeless copper coins from the late Qing dynasty. Now commonly refers to small coins in general, especially metal ones. The affectionate diminutive "钢镚子" (steel coin) or "钢镚儿" is widely used in spoken Chinese for modern coins.
Wǒ我
dōu兜
lǐ里
hái还
yǒu有
jǐ几
gè个
gāng钢
bèng镚
zi子
。
I still have a few small coins in my pocket.
Xiǎo小
shí时
hòu候
，
yī一
gè个
bèng镚
zi子
néng能
mǎi买
kuài块
táng糖
。
When I was a kid, one small coin could buy a piece of candy.
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Shōu收
yín银
yuán员
zhǎo找
gěi给
wǒ我
yī一
bǎ把
gāng钢
bèng镚
r儿
。
The cashier gave me a handful of small coins as change.
Zhè这
gè个
lǎo老
wù物
jiàn件
lǐ里
hái还
cáng藏
zhe着
jǐ几
méi枚
qīng清
mò末
de的
bèng镚
zi子
。
This old item still contains a few late Qing dynasty copper coins.