后院 (hòu yuàn) — (place word) backyard; back courtyard

Definition

Literally 'back courtyard' — the enclosed area at the rear of a house. Also used figuratively for trouble or conflict coming from inside a group (as in example 3: a company's 'backyard on fire').

noun

(place word) backyardback courtyard

Measure word · 个

Examples

后院。
Wǒ zài hòu yuàn lǐ zhǒng le shū cài.
I planted vegetables in my backyard.
后院，。
Tā men jiā de hòu yuàn hěn dà, kě yǐ tíng liǎng liàng chē.
Their backyard is very big and can park two cars.
，。
Gōng sī hòu yuàn qǐ huǒ, nèi bù máo dùn bào fā le.
Trouble arose from within the company; internal conflicts erupted.

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.

后hòuback

院yuàncourtyard

后院 is the 院 at the 后 side.

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 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

幺幺yāothread
夊夊suīfoot

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

阝完院

Meaning part形符xíngfú

阝Written in full as阜fù

Sound part声符shēngfú

完

完wán院yuàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

院 is built from 阝, written in full as 阜, and 完, which gives the sound.

Open 院 →

Appears in