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值班室 (zhí bān shì) — duty room; security post; office for a person on duty

Definition

noun
duty roomsecurity postoffice for a person on duty
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 值班室。
    Wǒ zài zhí bān shì děng nǐ.
    I'll wait for you in the duty room.
  • 值班室。
    zhí bān shì Lǐ yǒu sān gè rén.
    There are three people in the duty room.
  • 值班室。
    Tā měi tiān qù zhí bān shì qiān dào.
    He goes to the duty room to sign in every day.

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.

值班be on duty
值zhíbe on duty班bānshift
动宾Verb + object
室shìroom

The room 室 for 值班, keeping a shift, is a duty office.

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
直
直zhí值zhí
Same sound today

值 is made from 亻 (written in full as 人, a person) and 直, with 直 giving the sound.

Open 值 →

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

  • 珏珏juépieces of jade
  • 刀刀dāoknife

班 shows 珏, pieces of jade, and 刀, a knife, cutting them into pieces.

Open 班 →

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 →
Appears in
Rooms & SpacesWorkplace & Office

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