牢房 (láo fáng) — prison cell | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

prison cell

Measure word · 间

Examples

牢房。
Tā bèi guān zài láo fáng lǐ yǐ jīng sān nián le.
He has been locked in a prison cell for three years.
牢房，。
Zhè ge láo fáng tài xiá zhǎi le, lián zhàn dōu zhàn bù qǐ lái.
This prison cell is too narrow; you can't even stand up.
牢房。
Tā men bèi fēn bié guān zài bù tóng de láo fáng lǐ.
They were locked separately in different cells.

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.

牢 gives the idea of prison and 房 gives room, so the word means a prison room.

Characters in this word

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

宀牛牢

宀宀miánpen; animal yard
牛牛niúcow

牢 places 牛, a cow, under 宀, a pen or animal yard.

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.

Appears in

Buildings & Structures Crime & Police 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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