妓院 (jì yuàn) — brothel | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

brothel

Measure word · 家

妓院。
Zhè tiáo jiē guò qù yǒu hěn duō jì yuàn.
This street used to have many brothels.
妓院。
Jǐng chá chá fēng le nà jiā fēi fǎ jì yuàn.
The police shut down that illegal brothel.
妓院。
Tā zài xiǎo shuō lǐ miáo xiě le yì jiā jiù shè huì de jì yuàn.
He described a brothel from the old society in his novel.

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.

妓jìprostitute

院yuànestablishment

妓 names prostitutes and 院 names an establishment, together meaning a place for prostitution.

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.

女支妓

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

支

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape of 妓 combines 女, a woman, with 支, a part used for the sound.

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

阝完院

Meaning part形符xíngfú

阝Written in full as阜fù

Sound part声符shēngfú

完

完wán院yuàn

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

院 is built from 阝, written in full as 阜, and 完, which gives the sound.

Appears in