(diàn) — shop; store

Definition

Short, everyday word for a 'shop' or 'store' — shorter and more spoken than 商店. Often used in names (书店) and on its own for small shops.

noun
shopstore
Measure word ·

Examples

  • Zhè ge diàn hěn dà.
    This shop is very big.
  • Wǒ qù nà ge diàn mǎi dōng xī.
    I go to that shop to buy things.
  • Zhè lǐ yǒu yí gè diàn.
    There is a shop here.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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guǎnghouse built to depend on a cliff
Sound part声符shēngfú
zhàndiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

店 shows 广, a house built to depend on a cliff, and 占, which gives the sound.

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