斗室 (dǒu shì) — (literary) a tiny room, a cramped chamber

Definition

A literary term for a very small, cramped room. 斗 (dǒu) is an old unit of measure, so the name paints the room as 'just a dǒu in size'.

noun

(literary) a tiny rooma cramped chamber

Measure word · 间

斗室，。
Tā zài dǒu shì lǐ dú shū xiě zuò, yí dài jiù shì shí nián.
He read and wrote in his tiny room, staying there for ten years.
斗室，。
Suī rán zhǐ shì dǒu shì, dàn shōu shi dé hěn zhěng jié.
Although it's just a cramped room, it's kept very tidy.
斗室。
Zhè jiān dǒu shì zhǐ néng fàng xià yì zhāng chuáng hé yì zhāng zhuō zi.
This tiny room can only fit one bed and one desk.

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.

"斗" (dipper) and "室" (room) suggest a room as small as a dipper.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 斗 originally showed a ladle-shaped dipper or cup used to measure grain, held in a hand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

宀至室

Meaning part形符xíngfú

宀宀miánroof

Sound part声符shēngfú

至

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

室 puts 宀 (roof) over 至, the spot where someone stops, giving the meaning of a house or residence.