候车室 (hòu chē shì) — waiting room (at a bus station, train station, etc.)

Definition

noun
waiting room (at a bus station, train station, etc.)
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 候车室。
    Wǒ zài hòu chē shì děng nǐ.
    I'll wait for you in the waiting room.
  • 候车室。
    hòu chē shì Lǐ yǒu hěn duō zuò wèi.
    There are many seats in the waiting room.
  • 候车室。
    Qǐng nín dào sān hào hòu chē shì hòu chē.
    Please go to waiting room No. 3 to wait for the train.

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.

候车wait for a vehicle
候hòuwait车chēvehicle
动宾Verb + object
室shìroom

“候车” means waiting for a bus or train and “室” means room, so it names a waiting room.

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
矦
矦hóu候hòu
Same sound today

候 combines 亻, relating to people, with 矦, which gives the sound.

Open 候 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 車; 车 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 車 was drawn as a carriage seen from above, with wheels on both sides and a shaft at the front; the simplified 车 is a later shorthand.

Open 车 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
至
至zhì室shì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

室 puts 宀 (roof) over 至, the spot where someone stops, giving the meaning of a house or residence.

Open 室 →

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