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化妆室 (huà zhuāng shì) — dressing room (e.g., in a theater); powder room (e.g., in a restaurant or store); (Taiwan) restroom, toilet

Definition

化妆室 literally means 'makeup room' but shifts meaning by region: in mainland China it usually means a dressing room or powder room, while in Taiwan it commonly means restroom/toilet. Don't confuse with 洗手间, the standard mainland term for toilet.

noun
dressing room (e.g., in a theater)powder room (e.g., in a restaurant or store)(Taiwan) restroomtoilet
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 化妆室。
    Yǎn yuán zài hòu tái de huà zhuāng shì lǐ huàn yī fu.
    The actor changed clothes in the backstage dressing room.
  • 化妆室。
    Zhè jiā cān tīng de huà zhuāng shì hěn gān jìng.
    This restaurant's powder room is very clean.
  • 化妆室？
    Qǐng wèn huà zhuāng shì zài nǎ lǐ?
    Excuse me, where is the restroom?

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.

化妆put on makeup
化huàapply妆zhuāngmakeup
动宾Verb + object
室shìroom

A 室 is a room, with 化妆 giving the idea of applying makeup.

Characters in this word

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

化 shows two person figures, one upright and one upside down, to give the idea of reversal or change.

Open 化 →

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 妝; 妆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚfemale
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán妝zhuāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 妝 combines 女, meaning female, with 爿 as a sound part; this describes 妝, not the simplified 妆.

Open 妆 →

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 →
Appears in
Rooms & Spaces

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