台球室 (tái qiú shì) — billiard room

Definition

noun
billiard room
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 台球室。
    Tā zài tái qiú shì dǎ tái qiú.
    He plays billiards in the billiard room.
  • 台球室。
    Zhè dòng lóu de dì xià shì yǒu yí gè tái qiú shì.
    There is a billiard room in the basement of this building.
  • 台球室。
    Tā men jīng cháng zài tái qiú shì lǐ liàn xí.
    They often practice in the billiard room.

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.

台球billiards
台táitable球qiúball
偏正Modifier + head
室shìroom

台球 indicates billiards and 室 indicates a room.

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 臺; 台 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 台 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (窗台, 电视台) it is 臺; in others (台灯, 台球) (台风) it is 檯 or 台 or 颱.

The traditional form 臺 is the 喬 + 室 form; earlier versions combined a sound part with 室, and an old reading saw it as a watch tower.

Open 台 →

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
求
求qiú球qiú
Same sound today

球 is built from 玉, meaning jade, and 求, which gives the sound.

Open 球 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
至
至zhì室shì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

室 puts 宀 (roof) over 至, the spot where someone stops, giving the meaning of a house or residence.

Open 室 →

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