此处 (cǐ chǔ) — this place; here (formal/literary)

Definition

此处 is the formal, written way to say 'this place' or 'here.' It is more literary than the everyday 这里 and typical of notices and prose.

noun
this placehere (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 此处。
    Qǐng zài cǐ chǔ qiān zì.
    Please sign here.
  • 此处。
    cǐ chǔ Jìn zhǐ xī yān.
    No smoking here.
  • 此处，。
    cǐ chǔ Fēng jǐng yōu měi, shì hé pāi zhào.
    The scenery here is beautiful, suitable for taking photos.

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.

此cǐthis
处chùplace

The 此 (this) and 处 (place) together point to here.

Characters in this word

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

此 shows 止 (feet) and 人 (person), drawing a person stopping, to mean 'this' or 'here.'

Open 此 →

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →

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