十字路口 (shí zì lù kǒu) — crossroads; intersection

Definition

A 'cross-shaped' intersection — four roads meeting, usually with traffic lights. More specific than 路口, which is just any road junction.

phrase

crossroadsintersection

Examples

，十字路口？
Qǐng wèn, shí zì lù kǒu zěn me zǒu?
Excuse me, how do I get to the intersection?
十字路口。
Tā zài shí zì lù kǒu děng wǒ.
He is waiting for me at the intersection.
十字路口。
Zhè ge shí zì lù kǒu yǒu hóng lǜ dēng.
This intersection has traffic lights.

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.

十字cross-shaped mark

十shíten字zìcharacter

偏正Modifier + head

路口road mouth

路lùroad口kǒumouth

偏正Modifier + head

十字 means a cross-shaped mark and 路口 means a road mouth, giving an intersection.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early shape 十 was mostly a single vertical stroke, sometimes with a dot, and later gained a horizontal stroke to form a cross. For the number ten, it marked the next digit above one.

Open 十 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

宀子字

Meaning part形符xíngfú

宀宀miánroof

Sound part声符shēngfú

子

子zǐ字zì

Same sound today

字 pairs 宀 (roof) with 子 (child); 子 gives the sound, while 宀 relates to the meaning.

Open 字 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.