公厕 (gōng cè) — public toilet, public restroom | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

public toiletpublic restroom

Measure word · 个

Examples

公厕，。
Zhè ge gōng cè hěn gān jìng, jīng cháng yǒu rén dǎ sǎo.
This public toilet is very clean, and it is cleaned often.
公厕？
Qǐng wèn zhè fù jìn yǒu gōng cè ma?
Excuse me, is there a public restroom nearby?
公厕。
Nà ge gōng cè de wèi shēng tiáo jiàn bú tài hǎo.
The hygiene of that public restroom is not very good.

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.

厕cètoilet

公 (public) specifies the kind of 厕 (toilet).

Characters in this word

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

One theory sees 公 as a picture of a wide-mouthed, round-bottomed jar.

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 廁; 厕 is its simplified writing.

广則廁

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

則

則zé廁cè

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

The traditional form 廁 is made from 广 and 則; 則 gives the sound, and 广 relates to the meaning. The simplified 厕 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Public Facilities

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