便池 (biàn chí) — urinal

Definition

noun
urinal
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 便池。
    Nán cè suǒ lǐ yǒu yì pái biàn chí.
    There is a row of urinals in the men's restroom.
  • 便池。
    Qīng jié gōng měi tiān dōu yào qīng xǐ biàn chí.
    The cleaner has to wash the urinals every day.
  • 便池。
    Zhè ge biàn chí de chōng shuǐ xì tǒng huài le.
    The flushing system of this urinal is broken.

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.

便biànurine/excrement
池chíbasin

便池 is a 池 that collects 便, with 便 meaning urine or excrement.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

便 pairs 亻 (person) with 更 (to change), showing a person changing posture to become comfortable.

Open 便 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě池chí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

池 pairs 氵 (water) with 也, which provides the sound.

Open 池 →

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