阅览室 (yuè lǎn shì) — reading room

Definition

noun
reading room
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 阅览室。
    Wǒ měi tiān xià wǔ dōu qù yuè lǎn shì kàn shū.
    I go to the reading room to read books every afternoon.
  • 阅览室，。
    yuè lǎn shì Lǐ fēi cháng ān jìng, dà jiā dōu zài rèn zhēn xué xí.
    The reading room is very quiet; everyone is studying seriously.
  • 阅览室。
    Tā zài yuè lǎn shì zhǎo dào le yì běn guān yú lì shǐ de shū.
    He found a book about history in the reading room.

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.

阅览read through
阅yuèread览lǎnlook through
联合Side by side
室shìroom

阅览 (read through) describes the 室 (room), giving a room for reading.

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 閱; 阅 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門mén
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì閱yuè
Same sound today

The traditional form 閱 pairs 門, a gate, with 兌, a part that gives the sound; the simplified 阅 is a shorthand.

Open 阅 →

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 覽; 览 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān覽lǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 覽 uses 見, meaning see, for the sense and 監 for the sound; the simplified 览 is a later shorthand.

Open 览 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
至
至zhì室shì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

室 puts 宀 (roof) over 至, the spot where someone stops, giving the meaning of a house or residence.

Open 室 →

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