酒馆 (jiǔ guǎn) — tavern, pub, bar | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'wine house' (酒 + 馆), a casual drinking place — think pub or bar. 馆 is a common suffix for venues like 茶馆 (teahouse) and 咖啡馆 (café).

noun

tavernpubbar

Measure word · 家

酒馆。
Wǒ men jīn wǎn qù nà jiā jiǔ guǎn hē yì bēi ba.
Let's go to that tavern for a drink tonight.
酒馆。
Tā zài zhè jiā jiǔ guǎn gōng zuò le wǔ nián.
He has worked at this pub for five years.
酒馆。
Jiē jiǎo de jiǔ guǎn shì gè jù huì de hǎo dì fāng.
The bar on the corner is a great place for gatherings.

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.

酒jiǔwine/drink

馆guǎnhouse/place

酒 names the drink, and 馆 is a place of business, so this is a wine house or tavern.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

酉

酉yǒu酒jiǔ

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

酒 pairs 酉, the original picture for this word, with 水 (water), added later to distinguish it.

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 館; 馆 is its simplified writing.

飠官館

Meaning part形符xíngfú

飠Written in full as食shí

Sound part声符shēngfú

官

Same sound today

The traditional form 館 is made of 食, written as 飠 on the left, and 官 on the right; 官 provides the sound. The simplified 馆 is a later shorthand.

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