储蓄所 (chǔ xù suǒ) — savings bank; savings office (a bank branch that handles personal savings)

Definition

noun
savings banksavings office (a bank branch that handles personal savings)
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 储蓄所。
    Wǒ měi gè yuè dōu qù chǔ xù suǒ cún qián.
    I go to the savings bank every month to deposit money.
  • 储蓄所。
    Zhè jiā chǔ xù suǒ de yíng yè shí jiān shì zǎo shàng jiǔ diǎn dào xià wǔ wǔ diǎn.
    The business hours of this savings bank are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • 储蓄所？。
    Fù jìn yǒu méi yǒu chǔ xù suǒ? wǒ xiǎng kāi gè zhàng hù.
    Is there a savings bank nearby? I want to open an account.

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.

储蓄savings
储chǔstore蓄xùaccumulate
联合Side by side
所suǒplace

储 and 蓄 both mean store or accumulate, forming 储蓄 savings; 所 denotes a place, so the word is a savings office.

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 儲; 储 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
諸
諸zhū儲chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 儲 uses 人 as a person part and 諸 for sound. This describes 儲, not the simplified 储.

Open 储 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss, plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
畜
畜chù蓄xù
Same sound today

The top 艹 shows plants, and the lower 畜 gives the sound; the character is about cultivating plants and storing grain.

Open 蓄 →

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
斤斤jīnaxe
Sound part声符shēngfú
戶
戶hù所suǒ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

所 pairs 斤, an axe, with 戶, which gives the sound hù; the old meaning was the sound of logging.

Open 所 →

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