百货大楼 (Bǎi huò Dà lóu) — department store (building)

Definition

noun
department store (building)
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 百货大楼。
    Wǒ jīng cháng qù Bǎi huò Dà lóu mǎi dōng xī.
    I often go to the department store to buy things.
  • 百货大楼。
    Zhè jiā Bǎi huò Dà lóu yí gòng yǒu wǔ céng.
    This department store has five floors in total.
  • 百货大楼。
    Wǒ men zài Bǎi huò Dà lóu mén kǒu jiàn miàn ba.
    Let's meet at the department store entrance.

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.

百货general merchandise
百bǎihundred货huògoods
偏正Modifier + head
大楼large building
大dàlarge楼lóubuilding
偏正Modifier + head

百货 means 'hundred goods' and 大楼 means 'large building', together naming a department-store building.

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
一一yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái百bǎi
Same sound today

百 combines 一, which carries the number meaning, with 白, which provides the sound.

Open 百 →

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 貨; 货 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell, money
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà貨huò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貨 pairs 化 (sound) with 貝 (shell, money) to write valuable goods; the simplified 货 is a shorthand.

Open 货 →

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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 樓; 楼 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
婁
婁lóu樓lóu
Same sound today

The traditional form 樓 pairs 木 (tree) with 婁 as its sound part; the simplified 楼 is a later shorthand.

Open 楼 →

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