卫生所 (wèi shēng suǒ) — small clinic (attached to a school, factory, or other institution); public health clinic

Definition

A small clinic attached to a school, factory, or other institution — not a full hospital (医院) and smaller than a community health center (卫生服务中心). It handles minor ailments and basic medicine.

noun
small clinic (attached to a school, factory, or other institution)public health clinic
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 卫生所。
    Xué xiào lǐ de wèi shēng suǒ kě yǐ miǎn fèi kàn bìng.
    The clinic at school provides free medical checkups.
  • ，卫生所。
    Tā fā shāo le, qù wèi shēng suǒ ná le yì xiē yào.
    He had a fever and went to the clinic to get some medicine.
  • 卫生所。
    Gōng chǎng de wèi shēng suǒ měi tiān xià wǔ dōu kāi mén.
    The factory clinic opens every afternoon.

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.

卫生health
卫wèiprotect生shēnglife
动宾Verb + object
所suǒplace

卫生 (protecting life) gives the 所 (place) its meaning as a health clinic.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 衛; 卫 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíng
Sound part声符shēngfú
韋
韋wéi衛wèi
Same sound today

The traditional form 衛 is built from 行 as the sense part and 韋 as the sound part; the simplified 卫 is a shorthand.

Open 卫 →

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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
斤斤jīnaxe
Sound part声符shēngfú
戶
戶hù所suǒ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

所 pairs 斤, an axe, with 戶, which gives the sound hù; the old meaning was the sound of logging.

Open 所 →

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