Suanpan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A traditional Chinese counting tool consisting of a wooden frame and movable beads used for arithmetic calculations
2. A manual calculating device featuring rods and beads, widely employed in Asian cultures for performing mathematical operations
3. An abacus-like instrument originating from China, designed with rows of beads that can be slid for counting and calculation purposes

Etymology: The suanpan is the Chinese abacus, and its name is a compound of two ordinary Mandarin words: "suàn", meaning to calculate or reckon, and "pán", meaning a tray, plate or board. Put together, the name describes a calculating tray, which fits the instrument well: a wooden frame holding rods strung with movable beads, laid out so that a calculator works across a flat surface. The "pán" element is the one to notice. The same character appears in everyday words for dishes and plates, so the name reads more like "calculating platter" than like a technical label. English borrowed the term directly from Mandarin, so it carries the Chinese sense intact rather than a translated or Latinised one.

Synonyms: abacus, calculator