房室 (fáng shì) — room

Definition

noun
room
Measure word · 间
Easily confused

Examples

  • 房室。
    Zhè ge fáng shì hěn kuān chang.
    This room is very spacious.
  • 房室。
    fáng shì Lǐ de jiā jù dōu shì xīn de.
    The furniture in the room is all new.
  • 房室。
    Tā men zhèng zài dǎ sǎo fáng shì.
    They are cleaning the room.

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.

房fángroom
室shìroom

房 and 室 both refer to an enclosed space, together meaning a room.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戶戶hùdoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng房fáng
Same sound today

房 pairs 戶 (door) with 方 (fāng) as a sound part; 方 can also fit 'side,' as in a side room beside the main room.

Open 房 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
至
至zhì室shì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

室 puts 宀 (roof) over 至, the spot where someone stops, giving the meaning of a house or residence.

Open 室 →

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