地牢 (dì láo) — dungeon | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

dungeon

Measure word · 座

Examples

地牢。
Zhè zuò gǔ chéng bǎo xià miàn yǒu yí gè dì láo.
There is a dungeon beneath this ancient castle.
地牢。
Qiú fàn bèi guān zài dì láo lǐ hǎo jǐ nián.
The prisoner was locked in the dungeon for several years.
地牢。
Yóu xì zhōng de dì láo shè jì dé fēi cháng kǒng bù.
The dungeon in the game is designed to be very terrifying.

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.

地 gives earth or ground, and 牢 gives prison, making an underground prison.

Characters in this word

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

土也地

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

也

也yě地dì

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

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

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

宀牛牢

宀宀miánpen; animal yard
牛牛niúcow

牢 places 牛, a cow, under 宀, a pen or animal yard.

Appears in

Buildings & Structures Crime & Police

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