房梁 (fáng liáng) — beam (of a house) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

beam (of a house)

Measure word · 根

Examples

房梁。
Zhè dòng lǎo fáng zi de fáng liáng yǐ jīng yǒu xiē nián tóu le.
The beams of this old house have been around for quite a few years.
房梁。
Gōng rén zhèng zài gēng huàn pò sǔn de fáng liáng.
The workers are replacing the damaged beams.
房梁。
Yì gēn cū fáng liáng zhī chēng zhe zhěng gè wū dǐng.
A thick beam supports the entire roof.

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.

房 refers to a house and 梁 to a beam, together naming a house's beam.

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

戶戶hùdoor

Sound part声符shēngfú

方

方fāng房fáng

Same sound today

房 pairs 戶 (door) with 方 (fāng) as a sound part; 方 can also fit 'side,' as in a side room beside the main room.

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

水水shuǐwater

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

刅

刅chuāng梁Liáng

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

梁 pairs 水 (water) and 木 (wood) to show a bridge, with 刅 giving the sound.

Appears in

Buildings & Structures Home & Housing

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