屋内 (wū nèi) — inside a room, indoor (space)

Definition

noun

inside a roomindoor (space)

屋内。
wū nèi De wēn dù bǐ wài miàn gāo.
The temperature indoors is higher than outside.
屋内。
Qǐng bǎ dōng xī bān dào wū nèi qù.
Please move the things inside the room.
屋内。
Tā zhàn zài wū nèi kàn chuāng wài.
He stood inside the room looking out the window.

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.

屋 refers to a room and 内 to inside, so the word names the space inside a room.

Characters in this word

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

𡉉

𡉉𡉉屋wū

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

屋 comes from 室, meaning room, with 𡉉 for sound; its upper part later changed into an unrelated shape.

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

The shape shows 入 entering into 冂, a house, so it pictures bringing something indoors, giving the sense inside.

Appears in