民宅 (mín zhái) — residential houses; private homes (as opposed t…

Definition

民宅 means private homes and residential buildings — the everyday houses people live in, as opposed to shops, offices, or government buildings.

noun

residential housesprivate homes (as opposed to commercial or public buildings)

Measure word · 栋

民宅。
Zhè tiáo jiē shàng yǒu hěn duō lǎo mín zhái.
There are many old residential houses on this street.
民宅。
Zhèng fǔ zhèng zài gǎi zào lǎo jiù mín zhái qū.
The government is renovating old residential areas.
民宅。
Zhè piàn mín zhái jiàn yú shàng shì jì bā shí nián dài.
This residential area was built in the 1980s.

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.

民mínpeople or civilian

“民” means people or civilian, and “宅” is a dwelling, giving a private home.

Characters in this word

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

The early form of 民 shows an eye pierced by a sharp cross-shaped implement, possibly linked to an injured or unclear eye.

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

宀乇宅

Meaning part形符xíngfú

宀宀miánroof

Sound part声符shēngfú

乇

乇tuō宅zhái

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

In 宅, the 宀 part is a roof, and the 乇 part gives the sound.

Appears in