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边门 (biān mén) — side door; wicket gate

Definition

A secondary door on the side or back of a building, used instead of the main entrance (正门). Often for staff, service, or after-hours access.

noun
side doorwicket gate
Measure word · 扇

Examples

  • 边门，。
    Qǐng cóng biān mén jìn chū, bú yào zǒu zhèng mén.
    Please enter and exit through the side door, not the main door.
  • 边门，。
    Jù yuàn yǒu yí gè biān mén, yǎn chū jié shù hòu guān zhòng kě yǐ cóng nà lǐ lí kāi.
    The theater has a side door that the audience can leave through after the show.
  • 边门，。
    Zhè ge biān mén píng shí shì suǒ zhe de, zhǐ yǒu gōng zuò rén yuán cái néng yòng.
    This side door is usually locked; only staff can use it.

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.

边biānside
门méndoor

边 names the side, and 门 names the door.

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 邊; 边 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalking; movement
Sound part声符shēngfú
臱
臱mián邊biān(r)
Same sound today

The traditional form 邊 pairs 辶 (walking; movement) with the sound part 臱; the simplified 边 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 边 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →
Appears in
Buildings & Structures

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