TongTong
Sign in

资料室 (zī liào shì) — reference room; materials room

Definition

noun
reference roommaterials room
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 资料室。
    Tā zài zī liào shì lǐ chá zī liào.
    He's looking up materials in the reference room.
  • 资料室。
    Xué xiào de zī liào shì yǒu hěn duō jiù bào zhǐ.
    The school's reference room has a lot of old newspapers.
  • 资料室。
    Qǐng bǎ zhè běn shū fàng huí zī liào shì.
    Please put this book back in the reference room.

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.

资料materials
资zīresources料liàomaterial
联合Coordinate
室shìroom

资料 gives materials or references, and 室 gives room, so a room for reference materials.

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 資; 资 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell-money
Sound part声符shēngfú
次
次cì資zī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 資 puts 次 above 貝, a shell-money sign, to write property or resource; 次 supplies the sound. The simplified 资 is a shorthand, so do not treat its parts as historical.

Open 资 →

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

料 combines 米 (rice) with 斗 (a dipper), showing rice being measured or gauged.

Open 料 →

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
Rooms & SpacesSchool & Education

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.