对门 (duì mén) — the house or household directly opposite; neighbor across the street/hall/gate

Definition

Literally 'facing the door': the house, apartment, or household directly opposite yours across a street, courtyard, or building entrance. Often used as a noun meaning your neighbor on the other side.

noun
the house or household directly oppositeneighbor across the street/hall/gate

Examples

  • 对门，。
    Wǒ zhù zài duì mén, zǒu liǎng bù jiù dào le.
    I live across the hallway; it's just a few steps away.
  • 对门。
    duì mén De wáng ā yí jīng cháng gěi wǒ men sòng chī de.
    Aunt Wang from across the street often brings us food.
  • 对门，。
    Zhè liǎng dòng lóu duì mén ér jiàn, zhōng jiān zhī gé yì tiáo xiǎo lù.
    These two buildings face each other directly, with only a small path in between.

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.

对duìopposite
门méndoor

对 points to the side opposite, while 门 names the entrance or dwelling, giving the house directly across.

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 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →

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