址 (zhǐ) — site, location; foundation of a building

Definition

A bound noun meaning 'site' or 'location', almost never used alone — it appears inside compounds like 地址 (address), 遗址 (ruins), or 故址 (former site). It carries a more formal, written tone than the everyday 地方.

bound form
sitelocationfoundation of a building
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Qǐng bǎ nǐ de dì zhǐ gào sù wǒ.
    Please tell me your address.
  • 。
    Zhè ge yí zhǐ shì yí gè zhù míng de lì shǐ yí zhǐ.
    This site is a famous historical ruin.
  • 。
    Wǒ zhǎo dào le nà dòng fáng zi de jiù zhǐ.
    I found the old location of that house.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
止
止zhǐ址zhǐ
Same sound today

址 pairs 土 (earth) with 止, which gives the sound. The 土 part points to ground or foundation.

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