便盆
biànpén
The English phrase "potty" is translated into Chinese as 便盆 (biànpén).
便盆 refers to a children's chamberpot or a potty. In some contexts, you can specify a small child's potty by using the informal term 小便盆, which adds the character for "small" to the description.
Meaning: children's chamberpot (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 便盆 is composed of 便 (biàn), meaning 'excrement' or 'to go to the toilet' and 盆 (pén), meaning 'basin' or 'pot'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While 便盆 is the standard term, if you are specifically referring to a small potty for a child, the informal term 小便盆 is commonly used.
How do you pronounce it?
biànpén
When do people say it?
When you need to indicate the need for the restroom without directly referring to specific bodily functions, you can use the phrases 去洗手间 or 上厕所. In terms of bodily functions, 小便 is a formal way to refer to urination, 大便 is a formal way to denote defecation and 拉屎 is an informal way to refer to defecation.
Did you know?
- In modern Chinese, the character 便 in 便盆 is often a shorthand for 方便, which literally means 'convenience' but is used as a polite euphemism for using the toilet.
- The term 小便 (xiǎobiàn), which relates to the smaller potty, literally translates to 'small convenience'. This creates a linguistic system where urination is 'small convenience' and defecation is 'big convenience'.
- In many Chinese households, rather than using the noun 便盆, parents often use a verb-object construction like 拉粑粑 (lā bǎba) to talk to children about using their potty. The word 粑粑 is an onomatopoeic or 'baby talk' term used specifically for toddlers.
Examples in context
- 他需要去上厕所小便He needs to go to the restroom to urinate.
- 她刚刚去厕所大便了She just went to the restroom to defecate.
- 我需要去洗手间拉屎I need to go to the bathroom to defecate.
- 孩子在花园里小解了The child urinated in the garden.
- 孩子需要一个便盆。Háizi xūyào yīgè biànpén.The child needs a potty.
- 把便盆放在这里吧。Bǎ biànpén fàng zài zhèlǐ ba.Put the potty here.
Example conversation
A mother and father are discussing their toddler's potty training.
- 浩然 Haoran浩然，便盆在哪里？Hàorán, biànpén zài nǎlǐ?Haoran, where is the potty?
- 佳怡 Jiayi佳怡，它在房间的角落。Jiāyí, tā zài fángjiān de jiǎoluò.Jiayi, it is in the corner of the room.
- 浩然 Haoran孩子现在需要用便盆。Háizi xiànzài xūyào yòng biànpén.The child needs the potty now.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好的，我现在就拿过来。Hǎo de, wǒ xiànzài jiù ná guòlái.Okay, I will bring it over now.
