会客厅 (huì kè tīng) — reception room, parlor (in a home or office)

Definition

noun

reception roomparlor (in a home or office)

Measure word · 间

Examples

会客厅。
Kè rén zài huì kè tīng děng nín.
The guests are waiting for you in the reception room.
会客厅。
Tā bǎ huì kè tīng bù zhì dé hěn yǎ zhì.
He decorated the reception room very elegantly.
会客厅。
Gōng sī de huì kè tīng jiù zài èr lóu.
The company's reception room is on the second floor.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

会客receive guests

会huìreceive客kèguest

动宾Verb + object

厅tīnghall

会客 means receiving guests, and 厅 is a hall, naming a room for receiving guests.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

合合héto meet

Sound part声符shēngfú

𡆧

𡆧𡆧會huì

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

宀各客

Meaning part形符xíngfú

宀宀miánroof

Sound part声符shēngfú

各

各gè客kè

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 客, 宀 is a roof and 各 gives the sound; the character meant a guest.

Open 客 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.