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手术室 (shǒu shù shì) — operating room; operating theatre

Definition

noun
operating roomoperating theatre
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 手术室。
    Yī shēng yǐ jīng jìn le shǒu shù shì.
    The doctor has already entered the operating room.
  • 手术室。
    shǒu shù shì Lǐ fēi cháng ān jìng.
    It is very quiet inside the operating room.
  • 手术室。
    Bìng rén bèi tuī jìn le shǒu shù shì.
    The patient was wheeled into the operating room.

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.

手术operation
手shǒuhand术shùtechnique
偏正Modifier + head
室shìroom

手术 combines 手 for hand and 术 for technique, and 室 means room.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →

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 術; 术 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíngstreet, path
Sound part声符shēngfú
朮
朮zhú術shù
Same sound today

The traditional form 術 has 行 (street, path) beside 朮, which gives the sound; the simplified 术 is a later shorthand.

Open 术 →

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 →
Appears in
Hospital & Clinic

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