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使馆 (shǐ guǎn) — embassy

Definition

使馆 is the embassy — a country's main diplomatic office in another country's capital. The sibling 领事馆 is the consulate, which handles visas and citizens in cities outside the capital.

noun
embassy
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 使馆。
    Tā zài zhè jiā shǐ guǎn gōng zuò.
    He works at this embassy.
  • 使馆。
    shǐ guǎn Fù jìn yǒu yí gè dà gōng yuán.
    There is a big park near the embassy.
  • 使馆。
    Xīn de shǐ guǎn jīn nián jiàn hǎo le.
    The new embassy was built this year.

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.

使shǐenvoy/mission
馆guǎnhall

“使” refers to a diplomatic mission, and “馆” to a hall or building, together naming an embassy.

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

使 pairs 亻 (person) with 吏, which pictures a hand holding something like a flag, giving the sense of a representative or ambassador.

Open 使 →

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 館; 馆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
飠Written in full as食shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
官
官guān館guǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 館 is made of 食, written as 飠 on the left, and 官 on the right; 官 provides the sound. The simplified 馆 is a later shorthand.

Open 馆 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Buildings & StructuresInternational & Diplomacy

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