寮 (liáo) — (bound form) small house; hut; (bound form) Laos (in place names)

Definition

寮 (liáo) is a bound form, almost always paired with 房 or 舍 (寮房, 寮舍) to mean 'hut / dormitory'. In place names like 寮国 it refers to Laos.

bound form
small househutLaos (in place names)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 寮。
    Tā zài shān shàng dā le yì jiān liáo fáng.
    He built a small hut in the mountains.
  • 寮。
    liáo Guó shì dōng nán yà de yí gè guó jiā.
    Laos is a country in Southeast Asia.
  • 寮。
    Zhè jiān liáo shè zhù zhe sì gè gōng rén.
    This dormitory houses four workers.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
尞
尞liáo寮liáo
Same sound today

寮 is built from 宀, a roof-like shape, and 尞, which gives the sound liáo.

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