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号房 (hào fáng) — (historical) dormitory for imperial examination candidates; janitor's room; reception office; janitor; receptionist

Definition

Historical term: at HSK 7 it most often means the dormitory for imperial examination candidates (科举). In modern use it can also mean a janitor's room or reception office, depending on context.

noun
(historical) dormitory for imperial examination candidatesjanitor's roomreception officejanitorreceptionist
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • ，号房。
    Gǔ dài kē jǔ kǎo shì shí, kǎo shēng dōu zhù zài hào fáng lǐ.
    During the ancient imperial examinations, candidates all lived in the dormitories.
  • 号房。
    Nà ge dān wèi de hào fáng zài lóu tī xià miàn.
    That organization's janitor's room is under the stairs.
  • 号房。
    Nǐ xū yào zhǎo hào fáng dēng jì cái néng jìn qù.
    You need to find the reception office to register before you can go in.

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.

号hàonumber/name
房fángroom

号 means number/name and 房 means room, so 号房 is a designated room, such as a janitor's office.

Characters in this word

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

  • 口口kǒumouth
  • 丂丂kǎoexhaled air; a tiger's cry

The shape 号 comes from 口, a mouth, and 丂, exhaled air or a tiger's cry.

Open 号 →

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
戶戶hùdoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng房fáng
Same sound today

房 pairs 戶 (door) with 方 (fāng) as a sound part; 方 can also fit 'side,' as in a side room beside the main room.

Open 房 →
Appears in
Professions & JobsRooms & Spaces

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