陋室 (lòu shì) — humble abode, modest dwelling (literary, often self-deprecating)

Definition

A literary term for a 'humble, modest dwelling,' often used self-deprecatingly. Most learners meet it through Liu Yuxi's famous 《陋室铭》.

noun
humble abodemodest dwelling (literary, often self-deprecating)
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 陋室，。
    Tā de lòu shì suī rán jiǎn lòu, dàn fēi cháng gān jìng.
    His humble dwelling is simple but very clean.
  • 《陋室》。
    Liú yǔ xī de 《lòu shì míng》 shì zhōng xué kè běn lǐ de míng piān.
    Liu Yuxi's 'Inscription of the Humble Dwelling' is a famous text in middle school textbooks.
  • 陋室，。
    Zhè wèi shī rén yǐn jū zài shān zhōng de lòu shì, měi tiān dú shū xiě zì.
    This poet lives in seclusion in his mountain humbleroom, reading and writing every day.

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.

陋lòuhumble
室shìroom

陋 (humble, plain) combines with 室 (room) to denote a modest dwelling.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 →

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