登记处 (dēng jì chǔ) — registration office, registry

Definition

noun
registration officeregistry
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 登记处。
    Wǒ men qù dēng jì chǔ bàn jié hūn shǒu xù.
    We go to the registry office to go through the marriage procedures.
  • 登记处。
    Tā zài dēng jì chǔ mén kǒu pái duì děng le yí gè xiǎo shí.
    He waited in line for an hour outside the registry office.
  • 登记处。
    Nǐ yào dào dēng jì chǔ qù bǔ bàn shēn fèn zhèng.
    You need to go to the registration office to reapply for an ID card.

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.

登记register
登dēngenter/register记jìrecord
联合Side by side
处chùoffice/place

登记 gives 'register' and 处 gives 'office/place', so the word names a registration office.

Characters in this word

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

  • 癶癶bōleft and right feet
  • 豆豆dòupictogrammic of raised object; stepping stone

登 pairs 癶, left and right feet, with 豆, a raised object or stepping stone; its older form also showed two hands at the bottom, which later dropped.

Open 登 →

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 記; 记 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech; words
Sound part声符shēngfú
己
己jǐ記jì
Same sound today

The traditional form 記 pairs 言 (speech; words) with 己 as a sound part; the simplified 记 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 记 →

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 →
Appears in
Public Facilities

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