卧铺 (wò pù) — sleeper berth on a train; couchette | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A sleeper berth specifically on a train (下铺 lower berth, 中铺 middle, 上铺 upper). 床位 is the more generic term for any assigned bed (hospital, dorm, hotel); 床 is just 'bed' as furniture.

noun

sleeper berth on a traincouchette

Measure word · 张

Examples

卧铺。
Wǒ dìng le yì zhāng xià pù de wò pù.
I booked a lower-berth sleeper ticket.
卧铺。
Cóng běi jīng dào shàng hǎi zuò wò pù yào shí jǐ gè xiǎo shí.
Taking the sleeper from Beijing to Shanghai takes over ten hours.
卧铺，。
Zhè tàng liè chē de wò pù tiáo jiàn hěn hǎo, yǒu kòng tiáo hé chōng diàn kǒu.
The sleeper berths on this train are well-equipped, with air conditioning and charging ports.

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.

卧 lie and 铺 bed form a bed meant for lying down.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臥; 卧 is its simplified writing.

臣人臥

臣臣chéneye pointing down
人人rénperson

The traditional form 臥 pairs 臣 (an eye pointing down) with 人 (a person).

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 鋪; 铺 is its simplified writing.

金甫鋪

Meaning part形符xíngfú

金金jīngold; metal

Sound part声符shēngfú

甫

甫fǔ鋪pū

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

The traditional form 鋪 pairs 金 (gold; metal) with 甫 as a sound part; the simplified 铺 is a shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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