individual restaurant seats; general theater seats; irregular customers
Meanings
3 senses · 7 examplesnoun
individual tables or seats for walk-in customers in a restaurant (as opposed to private rooms)
Commonly used today to distinguish between the main dining hall (散座) and private rooms (包间). The term can also take an erhua suffix as 散座儿.
The scattered seats in the main hall are already full; would you mind sitting in a private room?
Let's sit in the general seating area; private rooms have a minimum spend requirement.
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The menu is the same for the general seating area and private rooms.
noun
general admission seats in a theater located outside of the private boxes (historical)
archaicHistorical term from the era when traditional Chinese theaters (戏园子) were divided into box seats (包厢) for VIPs and open seating (散座) for general audiences.
In the past, theaters were divided into box seats and general seating, with a big difference in ticket prices.
He couldn't afford box seats, so he could only sit in the back row of the general seating area.
noun
irregular, non-contractual customers of a rickshaw puller (historical)
archaicRefers to the distinction between '包月' (monthly contract customers) and '散座' (random street fares) for rickshaw pullers in early 20th century China.
Pulling irregular fares offered freedom, but the income was unstable and depended on the weather.
In those days, rickshaw pullers all wanted to move from irregular fares to having long-term customers.