Chinese word

招牌

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhāo pái

Meaning

  • nounshop sign

Example

这家店的招牌很吸引人。zhè jiā diàn de zhāo pái hěn xī yǐn rén

This shop's sign is very eye-catching.

Illustration for 招牌 (shop sign)

More examples

店门上挂着一块大的招牌，写着店名。diàn mén shàng guà zhe yí kuài dà de zhāo pái xiě zhe diàn míng

A large shop sign hangs above the door, with the shop's name written on it.

Core concept

The feature that draws people toward a business and comes to represent its best-known strength.

Common phrases

  • 招牌菜zhāo pái cài

    signature dish

  • 挂招牌guà zhāo pái

    hang a shop sign

Similar words

牌子pái zi: A small sign or label attached to a shop or object to show its name or brand.
广告guǎng gào: Publicity that tells people about a product or service and attracts their interest.
招牌菜zhāo pái cài: A restaurant's specialty dish presented as its best-known menu item.

Definition in Chinese

既可指店铺门前的实体看板，也可泛指使店或人出名的代表性事物或名声，常用于“招牌菜”等短语。jì kě zhǐ diàn pù mén qián de shí tǐ kàn bǎn yě kě fàn zhǐ shǐ diàn huò rén chū míng de dài biǎo xìng shì wù huò míng shēng cháng yòng yú zhāo pái cài děng duán yǔ

Word origin

招 (zhāo, "draw in") + 牌 (pái, "sign") links a customer-attracting display with the shop identity it comes to represent.

Usage tips

  • On a menu, this word marks the item a restaurant presents as its calling card, but it does not promise that every diner will prefer it.

Other meanings

  • specialtynoun
  • reputationnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word