神庙 (shén miào) — temple (of a deity) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'spirit hall,' a 神庙 is a temple housing a deity, distinct from 寺庙 (a general Buddhist/religious temple complex). The measure word is 座, used for large religious buildings.

noun

temple (of a deity)

Measure word · 座

Examples

神庙。
Zhè zuò shén miào jiàn yú yì qiān duō nián qián.
This temple was built over a thousand years ago.
神庙。
Gǔ dài rén men qù shén miào bài shén.
Ancient people went to temples to worship gods.
神庙。
Zhè zuò shén miào lǐ yǒu hěn duō shén xiàng.
This temple has many statues of gods.

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.

神 means god and 庙 means temple, so 神庙 names a temple for a god.

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

示示shìgod; deity

Sound part声符shēngfú

申

申shēn神shén

Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

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 廟; 庙 is its simplified writing.

广朝廟

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

朝

朝cháo廟miào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 廟 uses 广 to show the meaning and 朝 for the sound.

Appears in

Religion & Belief

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