装饰 (zhuāng shì) — to decorate; decoration

Definition

装饰 covers both the act of decorating and the decorative objects themselves — used for rooms, objects, or personal appearance. Among siblings, 装修 is specifically for renovating a space, while 点缀 means adding small tasteful touches.

to decoratedecoration

Examples

  • 装饰。
    Mā ma zài zhuāng shì fáng jiān.
    Mom is decorating the room.
  • 装饰。
    Zhè ge huā shì hěn hǎo de zhuāng shì.
    This flower is a very nice decoration.
  • 装饰。
    Wǒ men kě yǐ zhuāng shì yí xià cān tīng.
    We can decorate the dining room a bit.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

装zhuāngdecorate
饰shìornament

装 (decorate) and 饰 (ornament) both describe making things look better, together meaning to decorate.

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 裝; 装 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
壯
壯zhuàng裝zhuāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 裝 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 壯 as a sound part; this story is about 裝, not the simplified 装.

Open 装 →

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 飾; 饰 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
飤
飤sì飾shì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 飾 pairs 巾 (cloth) with 飤 as a sound part; the simplified 饰 is a later abbreviation.

Open 饰 →
Appears in
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