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池子 (chí zi) — pond; pool (in a public bathhouse); (historical) dance floor or front rows in a theater

Definition

A 池子 is a man-made pool — most often a pond, or the big bathing pool in a public bathhouse. The theater sense (front rows / dance floor) is historical and rarely used today.

noun
pondpool (in a public bathhouse)(historical) dance floor or front rows in a theater
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 池子。
    Xià tiān hái zi men xǐ huan zài chí zi lǐ yóu yǒng.
    In summer, children like to swim in the pond.
  • 池子。
    Zhè jiā zǎo táng de chí zi shuǐ wēn gāng gāng hǎo.
    The pool temperature in this bathhouse is just right.
  • 池子。
    Jiù shí xì yuàn de chí zi shì kàn xì zuì hǎo de wèi zhì.
    In old theaters, the front rows were the best places to watch the opera.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

池chípond
子zǐcommon ending

池 means pond, and 子 is added to make a common everyday noun.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě池chí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

池 pairs 氵 (water) with 也, which provides the sound.

Open 池 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 5Geography & Landforms

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