银牌
yín pái · HSK 3
silver medal
🥈 银 (silver) + 牌 (plaque/medal) = silver medal
银 means silver; 牌 means plate, tablet, or medal (also brand/card). Together they name the second-place medal. Compare 金牌 gold medal and 铜牌 bronze medal.
银 — metal radical 钅 + 艮 (phonetic)
银 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 钅 (the metal radical, from 金) signals the meaning category—metals. The right side 艮 supplies the sound. Originally referring to silver as a metal, it later extended to mean money, currency, and bank-related terms.
牌 — 片 (slice/tablet) + 卑 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 片 'slice, thin board' gives the meaning of a flat tablet or plaque, while 卑 supplies the sound. Originally referred to wooden or bamboo tablets used as signs or labels, later extending to playing cards, brand names, and license plates.