练功房 (liàn gōng fáng) — practice room; rehearsal room (for dance, martial arts, etc.)

Definition

noun
practice roomrehearsal room (for dance, martial arts, etc.)
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 练功房。
    Tā měi tiān zài liàn gōng fáng liàn xí tiào wǔ.
    She practices dancing in the practice room every day.
  • 练功房，。
    Zhè ge liàn gōng fáng hěn dà, kě yǐ tóng shí róng nà èr shí gè rén.
    This practice room is very big and can hold twenty people at the same time.
  • 练功房，、。
    Wǒ men xué xiào de liàn gōng fáng shè bèi hěn hǎo, yǒu jìng zi, yīn xiǎng hé dì bǎn.
    Our school's practice room has great equipment: mirrors, speakers, and flooring.

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.

练功practice exercises
练liànpractice功gōngskill
动宾Verb + object
房fángroom

练功 means practice exercises and 房 means room, so it is a room for practicing.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 練; 练 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
柬
柬jiǎn練liàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 練 has 糸, silk, and 柬, which gives the sound. The simplified 练 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not historical.

Open 练 →

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
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng功gōng
Same sound today

功 puts 力 (strength) beside 工, which gives the sound gōng and means labour or work.

Open 功 →

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.

Open 房 →

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