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出处 (chū chù) — source (of a quotation or allusion); background (of a person, especially one's origin or upbringing)

Definition

Literary/academic word for the source of a quotation, phrase, or allusion. Refers to origin or background only — not a person's family or employer.

noun
source (of a quotation or allusion)background (of a person, especially one's origin or upbringing)

Examples

  • 出处？
    Zhè jù huà de chū chù shì nǎ běn shū?
    What book is the source of this sentence?
  • 出处，。
    Tā de chū chù hěn pǔ tōng, dàn kào nǔ lì chéng gōng le.
    His background is very ordinary, but he succeeded through hard work.
  • 出处。
    Chá yí xià zhè ge diǎn gù de chū chù.
    Look up the source of this allusion.

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.

出chūcome out
处chùplace

出 (coming out) and 处 (place) together point to where something comes from.

Characters in this word

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

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
Reading & Writing

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