零售店 (líng shòu diàn) — retail store

Definition

noun
retail store
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 零售店。
    Zhè jiā líng shòu diàn mài de shuǐ guǒ hěn xīn xiān.
    The fruit sold at this retail store is very fresh.
  • 零售店。
    Tā zài shì zhōng xīn kāi le yì jiā líng shòu diàn.
    He opened a retail store in the city center.
  • 零售店。
    Hěn duō líng shòu diàn dōu zhī chí shǒu jī fù kuǎn.
    Many retail stores support mobile payment.

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.

零售retail
零língscattered售shòusell
偏正Modifier + head
店diànshop

零售 combines 零 (scattered) with 售 (sell), and 店 names a shop.

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
雨雨yǔrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng零líng
Same sound today

In 零, the 雨 part depicts thick raindrops falling from the sky; the 令 part gives the sound.

Open 零 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 售 →

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
广广guǎnghouse built to depend on a cliff
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn店diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

店 shows 广, a house built to depend on a cliff, and 占, which gives the sound.

Open 店 →

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