寨 (zhài) — stockade, camp; village (often used in place names)
Definition
A bound form meaning 'stockaded camp' or 'mountain village', almost always used as the second syllable of a two-character compound (营寨, 山寨, 苗寨) or as a suffix in place names — it never stands alone.
bound form
stockadecampvillage (often used in place names)
Examples
- 寨。Jūn duì zài hé biān jiàn le yí gè yíng zhài.The army built a camp by the river.
- 寨。Zhè ge miáo zhài yǒu shàng bǎi nián de lì shǐ le.This Miao village has a history of over a hundred years.
- 。Shān zhài lǐ de jū mín dà duō yǐ zhòng tián wéi shēng.Most residents in the mountain village make a living by farming.
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.
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡨄
𡨄𡨄寨zhài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
寨 pairs 木 (wood) with 𡨄, which gives the sound; the wood part shows the meaning is related to wood.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.