床榻 (chuáng tà) — bed; couch (especially a classical-style bed)

Definition

Literary/classical-style word for 'bed' — carries a traditional, historical tone (think Ming-dynasty furniture, ancient literati), unlike the everyday 床.

noun
bedcouch (especially a classical-style bed)
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 床榻。
    Zhè zhāng chuáng tà shì míng dài liú xià lái de gǔ dǒng.
    This bed is an antique from the Ming Dynasty.
  • 床榻。
    Gǔ dài wén rén cháng zài chuáng tà shàng dú shū zuò huà.
    Ancient literati often read and painted on their couches.
  • 床榻，。
    Tā tǎng zài chuáng tà shàng, bì mù yǎng shén.
    He lay on the bed, resting with his eyes closed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

床chuángbed
榻tàcouch

The 床 and 榻 are bed-like pieces of furniture, together meaning bed or couch.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The 床 shape combines 广, a house, and 木, tree, to show a wooden bed inside a house.

Open 床 →

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
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
𦐇
𦐇𦐇榻tà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

榻 combines 木 (wood) with 𦐇, which gives its sound.

Open 榻 →

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