会馆 (huì guǎn) — guild hall (historical regional or trade association building); clubhouse; association hall (modern, e.g., alumni or embassy venue)

Definition

A 会馆 is a hall that serves as the home base for a regional or trade association — historically a gathering place for merchants from the same area, today also used for alumni or embassy venues.

noun
guild hall (historical regional or trade association building)clubhouseassociation hall (modern, e.g., alumni or embassy venue)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 会馆，。
    Zhè zuò huì guǎn jiàn yú qīng cháo, shì tóng xiāng shāng rén jù huì de dì fāng.
    This guild hall was built in the Qing Dynasty as a meeting place for merchants from the same hometown.
  • 。
    Xiào yǒu huì guǎn měi nián dōu huì jǔ bàn qiū jì wǎn huì.
    The alumni association hall holds an autumn party every year.
  • 会馆。
    Tā men wèi liú xué shēng shè lì le wén huà huì guǎn.
    They set up a cultural center for international students.

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.

会huìassociation
馆guǎnhall

会 (association) describes 馆 (hall), so it is a hall for an association.

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

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 館; 馆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
飠Written in full as食shí
Sound part声符shēngfú
官
官guān館guǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 館 is made of 食, written as 飠 on the left, and 官 on the right; 官 provides the sound. The simplified 馆 is a later shorthand.

Open 馆 →

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