ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

room

shì
9 strokes · 宀 (roof radical) + 至 (to arrive) · HSK 2

Where 室 comes from

室 is 'arrive' 至 under a roof 宀 — the room is where you arrive and stop. In ancient houses the 室 was the innermost chamber, the destination at the end of the courtyard sequence.

室 in Chinese culture

教室 classroom, 办公室 office, 卧室 bedroom, 浴室 bathroom — modern life is a corridor of 室s. The old phrase 登堂入室 'ascend the hall, enter the chamber' still means mastering a discipline to its inner room.

Example

教室 jiàoshì — classroom

教室里有很多学生。
Jiàoshì lǐ yǒu hěn duō xuésheng.
There are many students in the classroom.

How to remember it

Under the roof 宀, you finally ARRIVE 至 — welcome to the ROOM.

In Chinese schools, students stay in one 教室 and the teachers rotate — the classroom is the class's home turf, decorated, cleaned, and defended by its students.

Same sound, different tones

1st shī
teacher
2nd shí
ten
3rd shǐ
history
4th shì
room

Words unlocked by 室

教室 jiàoshì
classroom
办公室 bàngōngshì
office
室友 shìyǒu
roommate

Related characters

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