班房 (bān fáng) — (colloquial) jail, prison; (archaic) quarters f… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A colloquial (and slightly old-fashioned) word for 'jail' or 'prison'. Historically it also referred to the on-duty quarters for low-ranking government messengers.

noun

(colloquial) jailprison(archaic) quarters for government messengers on duty

Examples

班房。
Tā yīn wèi tōu dōng xi bèi guān jìn le bān fáng.
He was put in jail for stealing.
班房。
Nà ge zuì fàn zài bān fáng lǐ guān le sān nián.
That criminal was locked up in prison for three years.
班房。
Gǔ dài yá men lǐ dōu yǒu chāi yì zhí bān de bān fáng.
In ancient government offices, there were quarters for messengers on duty.

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.

班 refers to a shift or group on duty, and 房 is a room; originally duty quarters, later a jail.

Characters in this word

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

珏珏juépieces of jade
刀刀dāoknife

班 shows 珏, pieces of jade, and 刀, a knife, cutting them into pieces.

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.

Appears in

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