正门 (zhèng mén) — main entrance; front gate | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

正门 is the main, front-facing entrance of a building — the one you face when you walk up. Contrasts with 后门 (back door / side door).

noun

main entrancefront gate

Measure word · 个

Examples

正门。
Wǒ men cóng zhèng mén jìn qù.
We'll go in through the main entrance.
正门，？
zhèng mén Zài nà biān, nǐ kàn dào le ma?
The main entrance is over there, do you see it?
正门，。
Qǐng zǒu zhèng mén, bú yào zǒu hòu mén.
Please use the main entrance, not the back door.

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.

正zhèngmain or front

“正” is main or front, and “门” is a gate, giving the main entrance.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng正zhèng

Same sound today

正 pairs 止 with 丁; 止 marks the sense and 丁 gives the sound.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Buildings & Structures

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