盒饭
hé fàn · HSK 5
meal in a partitioned box
🍱 盒饭 = 盒 (box) + 饭 (rice/meal) — boxed meal
Compound: 盒 hé means box or case, and 饭 fàn means cooked rice or a meal. Together they name the partitioned lunch box sold at stations and shops across China — literally a box-meal.
盒 — lid 亼 (cover) + 皿 (vessel)
盒 depicts a covered container: 亼 on top represents a lid coming together, while 皿 below shows a dish or vessel. Together they form the meaning 'box' or 'small case with a lid.' The character is semantic in structure, with 合 also hinting at the sound by suggesting things joining or closing.
饭 — food radical 飠/饣 + 反 fǎn (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 饣 (simplified from 飠, 'eat/food') gives the meaning, while 反 on the right hints at the sound. Originally referring to cooked grain, it broadened to mean cooked rice and, by extension, a meal in general.