户籍 (hù jí) — household registration (official record of one's registered residence); household registration system (the administrative system governing residency rights)

Definition

China's official household registration record — the place where the government lists you as a permanent resident, tied to rights like schooling and healthcare. It is a document and a system, not your current address.

noun
household registration (official record of one's registered residence)household registration system (the administrative system governing residency rights)

Examples

  • 户籍，。
    Tā de hù jí zài shān dōng, dàn tā yì zhí zhù zài běi jīng.
    His household registration is in Shandong, but he has always lived in Beijing.
  • 户籍。
    Bàn lǐ shēn fèn zhèng xū yào tí gōng hù jí zhèng míng.
    To apply for an ID card, you need to provide proof of household registration.
  • 户籍。
    Zhōng guó de hù jí zhì dù zhèng zài gǎi gé.
    China's household registration system is undergoing reform.

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.

户hùhousehold
籍jíregister

户 indicates household, and 籍 indicates register, together meaning household registration.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 戶; 户 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 戶 is a picture of half of a gate. The simplified 户 is a later shorthand, so its shape should not be read as the original parts.

Open 户 →

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
𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
耤
耤jí籍jí
Same sound today

籍 pairs 𥫗 (bamboo, written as 竹) with 耤 for the sound. The bamboo part is for bamboo census books.

Open 籍 →

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