棚户区 (péng hù ōu) — shantytown; area of makeshift housing (often used for urban renewal contexts)

Definition

Shantytown — an urban area of makeshift, low-income housing, typically discussed in the context of government demolition or redevelopment. The word literally combines 棚 (shed) + 户 (household) + 区 (area).

noun
shantytownarea of makeshift housing (often used for urban renewal contexts)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 棚户区。
    Zhèng fǔ zhèng zài gǎi zào chéng shì lǐ de péng hù ōu.
    The government is renovating the shantytowns in the city.
  • 棚户区。
    Hěn duō péng hù ōu de jū mín bān jìn le xīn lóu fáng.
    Many residents of the shantytowns have moved into new apartment buildings.
  • 棚户区。
    Zhè ge péng hù ōu yǐ jīng cún zài le èr shí duō nián.
    This shantytown has existed for more than twenty years.

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.

棚户shack households
棚péngshack户hùhousehold
偏正Modifier + head
区qūarea

棚 is a shack, 户 a household, and 区 an area, naming a shantytown.

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
朋
朋péng棚péng
Same sound today

棚 pairs 木 (tree) with 朋, and 朋 gives the sound.

Open 棚 →

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 區; 区 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 區 is made from 匸 and 品; the simplified 区 is a shorthand.

Open 区 →

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