冰库 (bīng kù) — icehouse; cold storage (room)

Definition

noun

icehousecold storage (room)

Measure word · 间

冰库。
Tā men bǎ shí wù fàng zài bīng kù lǐ bǎo xiān.
They put food in the cold storage to keep it fresh.
冰库。
Zhè ge bīng kù de wēn dù bǎo chí zài líng xià shí dù.
The temperature of this icehouse is kept at minus ten degrees.
冰库。
Gōng rén zhèng zài bīng kù lǐ bān yùn bīng kuài.
Workers are moving ice blocks in the cold storage.

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.

库kùstorage

冰 (ice) and 库 (storage) combine for a place storing ice.

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.

冫水冰

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

冫

仌bīng冰bīng

Same sound today

冰 adds 水 (water) to 冫, the short form of 仌; 冫 gives the sound, and 水 shows the meaning.

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 庫; 库 is its simplified writing.

广車庫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

广广guǎngbuilding

Sound part声符shēngfú

車

車jū庫kù

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

The traditional form 庫 pairs 广 (building) with 車 (sound); the building part points to a storehouse. The simplified 库 is a later shorthand.