凶宅 (xiōng zhái) — a house where a violent death (murder, suicide) occurred, considered unlucky; haunted house (with ghostly associations)

Definition

A house believed to bring bad luck because a violent death (murder, suicide) happened there — the practical-folk belief sense, not just a generic 'haunted house'. Disclosure is often legally required in property sales.

noun
a house where a violent death (murder, suicide) occurred, considered unluckyhaunted house (with ghostly associations)
Measure word · 处

Examples

  • 凶宅，。
    Tīng shuō nà dòng xiōng zhái fā shēng guò mìng àn, méi rén gǎn mǎi.
    I heard that a murder happened in that house, so nobody dares to buy it.
  • 凶宅，。
    Zhōng jiè méi yǒu gào sù wǒ men zhè shì xiōng zhái, tài bù chéng shí le.
    The agent didn't tell us this was an unlucky house — that's so dishonest.
  • 凶宅，。
    Wǎn shàng jīng guò nà jiān xiōng zhái shí, tā zǒng gǎn jué bèi hòu fā liáng.
    When he passed by that haunted house at night, he always felt a chill on his back.

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.

凶xiōngominous
宅zháidwelling

凶 means ominous and 宅 means dwelling, together naming an unlucky house.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

凶 originally drew a hole with a lump of rock, mud, stone, or bamboo in it.

Open 凶 →

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
乇
乇tuō宅zhái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 宅, the 宀 part is a roof, and the 乇 part gives the sound.

Open 宅 →

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