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住处 (zhù chù) — residence, dwelling, place to live

Definition

住处 means 'place where one lives' — focuses on the location itself, not the building (住宅) or housing situation (住房). Use it when the topic is where someone stays.

noun
residencedwellingplace to live
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 住处，。
    Wǒ bān zhù chù le, xīn dì zhǐ yǐ jīng fā gěi nǐ.
    I've moved residences, and I've already sent you the new address.
  • 住处。
    Zhè ge xiǎo qū de zhù chù huán jìng fēi cháng ān jìng shū shì.
    The residential environment in this neighborhood is very quiet and comfortable.
  • 住处。
    Tā zàn shí zhǎo bú dào hé shì de zhù chù.
    He can't find a suitable place to live for the time being.

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.

住zhùdwell
处chùplace

住 contributes 'dwell' and 处 contributes 'place', forming a place to live.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
主
主zhǔ住zhù
Same sound today

住 pairs 亻, the person radical (written fully as 人), with 主, which supplies the sound.

Open 住 →

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Home & Housing5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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