便當

便當

1. (regional) convenient; easy

   • 幸喜本日刮的是北風，所以向東向西都是旁風，使帆很便當的。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     幸喜本日刮的是北风，所以向东向西都是旁风，使帆很便当的。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1907 CE, Liu E, The Travels of Lao Can

     Xìngxǐ běnrì guā de shì běifēng, suǒyǐ xiàngdōng xiàngxī dōu shì pángfēng, shǐ fān hěn biàndāng de.

     Luckily there was a north wind, so whether they went east or west they had the wind at their side to facilitate sailing.

   • 有一時，就是民國二三年時候，北京的幾個國家銀行的鈔票，信用日見其好了，真所謂蒸蒸日上。聽說連一向執迷于現銀的鄉下人，也知道這既便當，又可靠，很樂意收受，行使了。 [MSC, trad.]
     有一时，就是民国二三年时候，北京的几个国家银行的钞票，信用日见其好了，真所谓蒸蒸日上。听说连一向执迷于现银的乡下人，也知道这既便当，又可靠，很乐意收受，行使了。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1925 April 29, Lu Xun, Jottings under the Lamplight《燈下漫筆》, translation based on Theodore Huters’s version

     Yǒu yīshí, jiùshì Mínguó èr sān nián shíhòu, Běijīng de jǐge guójiāyínxíng de chāopiào, xìnyòng rì jiàn qí hǎo le, zhēn suǒwèi zhēngzhēngrìshàng. Tīngshuō lián yīxiàng zhímí yú xiànyín de xiāngxiàrén, yě zhīdào zhè jì biàndāng, yòu kěkào, hěn lèyì shōushòu, xíngshǐ le.

     There was a time in 1913 or 1914 when the credit-worthiness of the banknotes of a number of national banks in Beijing was growing day by day; it can truly be said to have been soaring by the day. I’ve heard that even country folk who had always been obsessed with silver realized that banknotes were not only convenient but reliable and were thus quite happy to accept them and keep them in circulation.

• (convenient):

便當

1. even if

• 即便 (jíbiàn)
• 就算 (jiùsuàn)

Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 弁当(べんとう) (bentō), which was in turn a semantic readaptation of Chinese 便當 / 便当 (biàndang, “convenient”).

便當

1. (originally Taiwanese Mandarin) bento; lunchbox

• (Hakka) 飯篼仔／饭篼仔

便當

1. (slang) Synonym of 領便當 / 领便当 (lǐng biàndāng)