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温室 (wēn shì) — greenhouse

Definition

noun
greenhouse
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 温室。
    wēn shì Xiào yìng dǎo zhì quán qiú qì wēn shàng shēng.
    The greenhouse effect is causing global temperatures to rise.
  • 温室。
    Zhè jiā nóng chǎng shǐ yòng wēn shì zhòng zhí fǎn jì jié shū cài.
    This farm uses a greenhouse to grow off-season vegetables.
  • 温室。
    Wǒ men cān guān le rè dài zhí wù wēn shì.
    We visited a tropical plant greenhouse.

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.

温wēnwarm
室shìroom

A 温室 is a 室 kept 温, a warm room for growing plants.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 溫; 温 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 溫 is based on an older form 𥁕, which drew a person bathing in a container full of warm water. The simplified 温 is a later variant.

Open 温 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
至
至zhì室shì
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.

Open 室 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Agriculture & Farming

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