壁龛 (bì kān) — niche (in a wall) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

niche (in a wall)

Measure word · 个

壁龛，。
Jiào táng de qiáng shàng yǒu yí gè bì kān, lǐ miàn fàng zhe yì zūn shèng mǔ xiàng.
There is a niche on the wall of the church, with a statue of the Virgin Mary inside.
壁龛。
Shè jì shī zài shū fáng zhōng shè jì le yí gè bì kān lái fàng zhì gǔ dǒng huā píng.
The designer created a niche in the study to place an antique vase.
壁龛。
Zhè zuò jiàn zhù de wài qiáng shàng yǒu xǔ duō zhuāng shì xìng de bì kān.
There are many decorative niches on the outer wall of this building.

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.

龛kānniche

壁 names a wall, and 龛 names the niche set into it.

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.

土辟壁

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

辟

Same sound today

壁 combines 土 (earth) and 辟, which gives the sound. The whole means an earthen wall.

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 龕; 龛 is its simplified writing.

合龍龕

Meaning part形符xíngfú

龍龍lóng

Sound part声符shēngfú

合

合hé龕kān

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

The traditional form 龕 has 龍 as the meaning part and 合 as the sound part.