<blockquote>
<p>So obviously 柵欄 means fence, but if you break it down word by word
it's fence fence, which makes no sense to me.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Probably, 栅栏 was originally meant to indicate some kind of fencing with a handrail on top, which meaning has got lost in the inaccurate mists of time.</p>
<p>栅栏: 用竹、木、铁条等做成的阻拦物 (another double-up: 阻拦: impede impede)<br />
Fence: an obstruction made of bamboo, wood, or iron.</p>
<p>栅，编竖木也。——《说文》<br />
栅: woven vertical wood——《说文》</p>
<p>栏: 由扶手和支柱构成的栅杆护围 [railing]<br />
栏: (a) from handrail and pillars forming fence poles protective surrounding
(a protective surrounding made from a handrail and fence poles)</p>
<p>栏，木栏也，谓阶际木句栏。——《玉篇》<br />
栏，wooden fence, namely wooden poles at stepped intervals</p>
<p>句栏: 栏干: fencepole</p>
<p>So it seems, a long time ago a wooden lattice was a 栅, probably not so stable without 句栏.</p>
<p>To manufacture a balustrade, you use baluster, fencepoles, and put a railing on top.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>baluster: also balluster, &quot;support for a railing&quot; (commonly one that
swells outward at some point)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>English does not commonly double nouns, but other words may be double for intensity, which makes sense to me:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>O my Luve's like a red, red rose,<br />
A long long time ago</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-10T06:31:10.663Z
2024-07-10T06:31:10.663Z
Pedroski
<p>Using two characters that have similar meanings to create a compound word is a common practice</p>
<p>Most characters contain multiple meanings. That makes them non-specific when used alone.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>柵 can mean 'rail, bar, fence, lattice, or gate</p>
</li>
<li><p>欄 can mean 'column, fence, hurdle, or cote</p>
</li>
<li><p>柵欄 can only mean 'fence'</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Both 繩 and 索 can be a verb or a noun, but together, it can only be a noun for rope</p>
<p>More examples:</p>
<p>關 = close, gate, turn off, imprison, related</p>
<p>閉 = close, obstruct</p>
<p>關閉 = close</p>
<p>光 = bright, light, bare, only, empty</p>
<p>明 = bright, understand, openly, next</p>
<p>光明 = bright</p>
<p>A compound has one meaning, not two same meanings.</p>
<p>柵欄 (fence) is not 'fence, fence'</p>
<p>繩索 (rope) is not 'rope, rope'</p>
<p>Some <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/10563/what-are-compound-words-called-that-are-composed-of-words-with-similar-meaning/10565#10565">reference</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>They are called 同义复词 (synonym compounds).</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-09T11:21:19.627Z
Quote:- ..."intentionally pick only the overlapped meaning between them" If not how else could OP justify saying, "...which makes no sense to me"?
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-09T11:25:27.983Z
I meant a compound has one meaning, not two same meanings. The two same meanings should merge into one
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-09T10:35:17.503Z
2024-07-09T11:38:05.127Z
2024-07-09T11:38:05.127Z
Tang Ho
<p>木柵 = Wooden Fence</p>
<p>欄 = Fence</p>
<p>柵欄 = Fence Fence</p>
<p>So obviously 柵欄 means fence, but if you break it down word by word it's fence fence, which makes no sense to me.</p>
<p>Another example I can think of is 繩索, which again is rope rope, whereas 鐵索 is metal rope and 繩子 is just a rope.</p>
<p>Can somebody explain this phenomenon to me. Thanks.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-07-11T00:35:27.673Z
There's quite a few of these: 街道, 喜爱, 恐惧, 疼痛, 聚集, 安静, etc. And there's a bunch of 2-character words whose characters are basically only used in one word 匍匐, 葡萄, 蝙蝠, 麒麟.  In fact, there's quite a few 2-character words which are made from repeating the same character: 爸爸, 姐姐, 叔叔, etc., 远远, 种种, etc..
Becky 李蓓
<meaning>
Repetitive meaning of 柵欄
# Repetitive meaning of 柵欄

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-07-09)

木柵 = Wooden Fence

欄 = Fence

柵欄 = Fence Fence

So obviously 柵欄 means fence, but if you break it down word by word it's fence fence, which makes no sense to me.

Another example I can think of is 繩索, which again is rope rope, whereas 鐵索 is metal rope and 繩子 is just a rope.

Can somebody explain this phenomenon to me. Thanks.

**Tags:** meaning

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There's quite a few of these: 街道, 喜爱, 恐惧, 疼痛, 聚集, 安静, etc. And there's a bunch of 2-character words whose characters are basically only used in one word 匍匐, 葡萄, 蝙蝠, 麒麟.  In fact, there's quite a few 2-character words which are made from repeating the same character: 爸爸, 姐姐, 叔叔, etc., 远远, 种种, etc..  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-07-09. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Using two characters that have similar meanings to create a compound word is a common practice

Most characters contain multiple meanings. That makes them non-specific when used alone.

* 柵 can mean 'rail, bar, fence, lattice, or gate
* 欄 can mean 'column, fence, hurdle, or cote
* 柵欄 can only mean 'fence'

Both 繩 and 索 can be a verb or a noun, but together, it can only be a noun for rope

More examples:

關 = close, gate, turn off, imprison, related

閉 = close, obstruct

關閉 = close

光 = bright, light, bare, only, empty

明 = bright, understand, openly, next

光明 = bright

A compound has one meaning, not two same meanings.

柵欄 (fence) is not 'fence, fence'

繩索 (rope) is not 'rope, rope'

Some [reference](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/10563/what-are-compound-words-called-that-are-composed-of-words-with-similar-meaning/10565#10565)

> They are called 同义复词 (synonym compounds).

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Quote:- ..."intentionally pick only the overlapped meaning between them" If not how else could OP justify saying, "...which makes no sense to me"?  
> **username_3**: I meant a compound has one meaning, not two same meanings. The two same meanings should merge into one  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-07-10. Score: 0

> So obviously 柵欄 means fence, but if you break it down word by word
> it's fence fence, which makes no sense to me.

Probably, 栅栏 was originally meant to indicate some kind of fencing with a handrail on top, which meaning has got lost in the inaccurate mists of time.

栅栏: 用竹、木、铁条等做成的阻拦物 (another double-up: 阻拦: impede impede)  
Fence: an obstruction made of bamboo, wood, or iron.

栅，编竖木也。——《说文》  
栅: woven vertical wood——《说文》

栏: 由扶手和支柱构成的栅杆护围 [railing]  
栏: (a) from handrail and pillars forming fence poles protective surrounding
(a protective surrounding made from a handrail and fence poles)

栏，木栏也，谓阶际木句栏。——《玉篇》  
栏，wooden fence, namely wooden poles at stepped intervals

句栏: 栏干: fencepole

So it seems, a long time ago a wooden lattice was a 栅, probably not so stable without 句栏.

To manufacture a balustrade, you use baluster, fencepoles, and put a railing on top.

> baluster: also balluster, "support for a railing" (commonly one that
> swells outward at some point)

English does not commonly double nouns, but other words may be double for intensity, which makes sense to me:

> O my Luve's like a red, red rose,  
> A long long time ago


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