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图书室 (tú shū shì) — small library, reading room

Definition

A 图书室 is a small library or reading room, usually within a school, office, or building — smaller than a full 图书馆. It emphasizes a quiet place to read on-site rather than borrow books.

noun
small libraryreading room
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 图书室。
    Wǒ men xué xiào de tú shū shì yǒu hěn duō shū.
    Our school's library has many books.
  • 图书室。
    Tā měi tiān xià wǔ dōu zài tú shū shì lǐ kàn shū.
    He reads books in the library every afternoon.
  • 图书室，。
    Zhè ge tú shū shì suī rán bú dà, dàn shì hěn ān jìng.
    This library, though not big, is very quiet.

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.

图书books
图túbook书shūbook
联合Coordinate
室shìroom

图书 means books, and 室 gives the room for them.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 圖; 图 is its simplified writing.

  • 囗囗wéiwalled city
  • 啚啚bǐ

The traditional form 圖 pairs 囗, a walled city, with 啚, an early form meaning remote areas or territory. The simplified 图 is a later abbreviation.

Open 图 →

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →

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
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