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福利院 (fú lì yuàn) — welfare institution, charitable home (for orphans, the elderly, or people with disabilities)

Definition

noun
welfare institutioncharitable home (for orphans, the elderly, or people with disabilities)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 福利院。
    Tā zhù zài fú lì yuàn lǐ.
    He lives in a welfare home.
  • 福利院。
    Zhè jiā fú lì yuàn wèi lǎo rén tí gōng miǎn fèi shí wù hé zhù sù.
    This welfare home provides free food and accommodation for the elderly.
  • 福利院。
    Zhì yuàn zhě jīng cháng qù fú lì yuàn bāng máng.
    Volunteers often go to the welfare home to help.

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.

福利welfare
福fúblessing利lìbenefit
联合Coordinate
院yuàninstitution

福利 gives welfare benefits, and 院 gives an institution; it is a place for welfare.

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
示示shì
Sound part声符shēngfú
畐
畐fú福fú
Same sound today

福 combines 示 and 畐, with 示 carrying the meaning and 畐 the sound.

Open 福 →

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

利 combines 禾 (grain) and 刀 (knife), showing a knife used to cut grain.

Open 利 →

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
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
完
完wán院yuàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

院 is built from 阝, written in full as 阜, and 完, which gives the sound.

Open 院 →
Appears in
Public FacilitiesSociety & Public Life

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