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住家 (zhù jiā) — to stay at home; to live at one's own home; (of a married woman) to visit or stay at her parents' home

Definition

A verb with two distinct senses: 'to live / stay at home' in everyday use, and a more specific meaning for a married woman visiting or staying at her parents' home.

verb
to stay at hometo live at one's own home(of a married woman) to visit or stay at her parents' home

Examples

  • 住家。
    Tā jié hūn hòu yì zhí zhù jiā.
    After getting married, she has been living at home.
  • ，。
    Tā jià rén hòu, zhù le yí cì jiā.
    After getting married, she stayed at her parents' home once.
  • 住家，。
    Tā píng shí zhù jiā, zhōu mò cái chū qù wán.
    He usually stays at home and only goes out on weekends.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

住zhùlive/stay
家jiāhome

住 means live or stay, and 家 is the home; together it means staying at home.

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
主
主zhǔ住zhù
Same sound today

住 pairs 亻, the person radical (written fully as 人), with 主, which supplies the sound.

Open 住 →

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
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →
Appears in
Daily RoutineHome & Housing

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