前庭 (qián tíng) — (architecture) front courtyard, parvis, vestibule of a building; (anatomy) vestibule (of the inner ear)

Definition

Literally 'front court' — in architecture, the courtyard or entrance space before a hall; in anatomy, the vestibule of the inner ear that controls balance.

noun
(architecture) front courtyardparvisvestibule of a building(anatomy) vestibule (of the inner ear)

Examples

  • 前庭。
    Zhè zuò lǎo zhái de qián tíng lǐ zhǒng le liǎng kē guì huā shù.
    Two osmanthus trees are planted in the front courtyard of this old residence.
  • 前庭。
    Nèi ěr zhōng de qián tíng shì wéi chí shēn tǐ píng héng de zhòng yào jié gòu.
    The vestibule in the inner ear is a crucial structure for maintaining body balance.
  • 前庭。
    Yī shēng tōng guò jiǎn chá qián tíng gōng néng lái pàn duàn xuàn yùn de yuán yīn.
    Doctors check vestibular function to determine the cause of dizziness.

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.

前qiánfront
庭tíngcourtyard

前 (front) + 庭 (courtyard) names the front courtyard or vestibule.

Characters in this word

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

In the older form of 前, 止 (foot) and 舟 (boat) showed a foot on a boat moving forward; in the current 前 those parts are shortened.

Open 前 →

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
广广guǎng
Sound part声符shēngfú
廷
廷tíng庭tíng
Same sound today

庭 combines 广 with 廷. The 廷 part gives the sound, and 广 is the meaning part.

Open 庭 →

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