隔间 (gé jiān) — compartment, booth, cubicle, partitioned-off area

Definition

noun
compartmentboothcubiclepartitioned-off area
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 隔间
    Tā zài bàn gōng shì de gé jiān lǐ gōng zuò.
    He works in a cubicle in the office.
  • 隔间
    Diàn huà gé jiān lǐ yǒu rén zài dǎ diàn huà.
    Someone is making a phone call in the phone booth.
  • 隔间
    Huǒ chē shàng de gé jiān hěn ān jìng.
    The compartment on the train is very quiet.

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.

partition

隔 (partition) and 间 (space) describe a partitioned-off compartment.

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
Written in full aswall
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

隔 puts 阝, a wall, with 鬲, which gives the sound gé, to show separating with a wall.

Open 隔 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 间 →
Appears in

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