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四处 (sì chù) — everywhere; all around; in all directions

Definition

四处 means 'everywhere / all around' and usually pairs with a verb ('look around, search everywhere'). 到处 is the more common everyday synonym; 四处 feels slightly more written.

noun
everywhereall aroundin all directions

Examples

  • 四处，。
    Tā sì chù kàn le kàn, méi yǒu fā xiàn yì cháng.
    He looked around and didn't find anything unusual.
  • 四处。
    Xiǎo niǎo zài shù shàng sì chù fēi lái fēi qù.
    The little bird is flying around in the tree.
  • 四处，。
    Wǒ men sì chù dǎ tīng, zhōng yú zhǎo dào le nà jiā diàn.
    We asked around everywhere and finally found that store.

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.

四sìfour
处chùplace

四 and 处 picture places in multiple directions, giving everywhere.

Characters in this word

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

The form 四 was drawn as a nose breathing out. It later came to be used for the word four.

Open 四 →

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Directions5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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