处 (chǔ) — to reside; to be situated at (a place or situation); to get along with (someone); to handle, deal with; to punish
Definition
处 (chǔ) as a verb covers three distinct senses: locating (more formal than 住, often for organizations like 公司), getting along (相处), and handling/punishing (处理, 处罚).
verb
to resideto be situated at (a place or situation)to get along with (someone)to handledeal withto punish
Easily confused
Examples
- 。Tā de gōng sī chǔ zài shàng hǎi.His company is located in Shanghai.
- 处。Tā men liǎ chǔ dé hěn hǎo.The two of them get along very well.
- 。Zhè ge wèn tí xū yào hǎo hǎo chǔ lǐ.This problem needs to be handled properly.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
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.
Appears in
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