学府 (xué fǔ) — institution of higher learning; (figurative) academic circles, the university community

Definition

学府 (xuéfǔ) is a formal, written term for a prestigious university or institution of higher learning — much more literary than everyday 大学. It often carries a respectful tone, used to praise elite schools.

noun
institution of higher learning(figurative) academic circlesthe university community
Measure word · 所

Examples

  • 学府。
    Qīng huá dà xué shì yì suǒ zhù míng de xué fǔ.
    Tsinghua University is a prestigious institution of higher learning.
  • 学府。
    Zhè suǒ xué fǔ wèi guó jiā péi yǎng le hěn duō rén cái.
    This institution has cultivated many talents for the country.
  • 学府。
    Zhěng gè xué shù xué fǔ dōu duì zhè ge wèn tí hěn gǎn xìng qù.
    The entire academic community is very interested in this issue.

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.

学xuélearning
府fǔmansion

学 means learning and 府 means a grand place, naming an institution.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 學; 学 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 學 may have used 爻 and 六 for sound, with hands and a child added later; the simplified 学 is a shorthand.

Open 学 →

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
广广guǎngbuilding
Sound part声符shēngfú
付
付fù府fǔ
Same sound today

府 shows a type of building with 广, while 付 gives the character its sound.

Open 府 →

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