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防空洞 (fáng kōng dòng) — air-raid shelter; hideout (for criminals or wrongdoers); (figurative) cover or pretext for wrong thoughts or actions

Definition

Literally 'air-defense cave': an air-raid shelter, extended metaphorically to any place or excuse used to hide wrongdoing. The second sense ('hideout / cover') is figurative, not a literal shelter.

noun
air-raid shelterhideout (for criminals or wrongdoers)(figurative) cover or pretext for wrong thoughts or actions
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，防空洞。
    Zhàn zhēng qī jiān, rén men dōu duǒ jìn fáng kōng dòng bì nàn.
    During the war, people took refuge in air-raid shelters.
  • 防空洞。
    Nà ge fèi qì de gōng chǎng chéng le fàn zuì fèn zǐ de fáng kōng dòng.
    That abandoned factory became a hideout for criminals.
  • “”防空洞，。
    Tā ná "wèi le gōng sī lì yì" dāng fáng kōng dòng, qí shí shì zài zhōng bǎo sī náng.
    He used 'for the company's benefit' as a cover, when in fact he was lining his own pockets.

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.

防空air defense
防fángdefend空kōngair
动宾Verb + object
洞dòngcave

防空 means air defense, and 洞 is a shelter or cave, together naming an air-raid shelter.

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
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng防fáng
Same sound today

防 pairs 阝 (written fully as 阜) with 方, which gives the sound.

Open 防 →

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
穴穴xuécave, hole
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng空kōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Open 空 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
同
同tóng洞dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洞 combines 水 (water) with 同, which gives the sound tóng.

Open 洞 →
Appears in
Buildings & StructuresMilitary & Defense

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