保管室 (bǎo guǎn shì) — storeroom; storage room

Definition

noun
storeroomstorage room
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 保管室。
    Zhè xiē jiù jiā jù dōu fàng zài bǎo guǎn shì lǐ.
    All this old furniture is stored in the storeroom.
  • 保管室。
    bǎo guǎn shì De yào shi zài mì shū nà lǐ.
    The key to the storage room is with the secretary.
  • 保管室。
    Qǐng bǎ shè bèi bān huí bǎo guǎn shì.
    Please move the equipment back to the storeroom.

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.

保管keeping safe
保bǎoprotect管guǎnmanage
联合Side by side
室shìroom

保管 means keeping things safe, and 室 is a room, together naming a room for storing items.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

保 originally showed a person 人 carrying a child 子 on their back, which led to the sense of protecting.

Open 保 →

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
官
官guān管guǎn
Same sound today

管 has 竹 (bamboo) on top to show it relates to bamboo, and 官 gives its sound.

Open 管 →

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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