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理发店 (lǐ fà diàn) — barber shop; barbershop

Definition

noun
barber shopbarbershop
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 理发店。
    Wǒ měi gè yuè chū dōu qù nà jiā lǐ fà diàn jiǎn tóu fa.
    I go to that barber shop to get a haircut at the beginning of every month.
  • 理发店，。
    Zhè tiáo jiē shàng xīn kāi le yì jiā lǐ fà diàn, shēng yì hěn hǎo.
    A new barbershop opened on this street, and business is great.
  • 理发店。
    Tā zài zhè jiā lǐ fà diàn dāng le shí nián lǐ fà shī.
    He has worked as a barber at this shop for ten years.

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.

理发cut hair
理lǐcut发fāhair
动宾Verb + object
店diànshop

理发 'cut hair' + 店 'shop' gives a shop where hair is cut.

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
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ理lǐ
Same sound today

理 pairs 玉 (jade) with 里, which shows how to say it; the jade part points to the old sense of polishing jade.

Open 理 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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
广广guǎnghouse built to depend on a cliff
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn店diàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

店 shows 广, a house built to depend on a cliff, and 占, which gives the sound.

Open 店 →
Appears in
Hygiene & Grooming

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