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bed

chuáng
7 strokes · 广 (lean-to roof) + 木 (wood) — wooden furniture under a roof · HSK 2

Where 床 comes from

广 is a building open on one side; 木 is the wood inside it. The oldest 床 wasn't only for sleeping — it was a low platform for sitting, dining, and receiving guests. Beds were ancient China's sofas, desks, and thrones combined.

床 in Chinese culture

Li Bai's 床前明月光 'moonlight before my bed' is the first poem every Chinese child memorizes — though scholars still argue whether his 床 meant bed, stool, or well-railing. 起床 'rise from bed' starts every Chinese morning routine and every boarding-school bugle call.

Example

起床 qǐchuáng — to get up

我早上七点起床。
Wǒ zǎoshang qī diǎn qǐchuáng.
I get up at seven.

How to remember it

Wood 木 under a roof 广 — the BED you don't want to leave.

婚床 the marriage bed gets scattered with dates, peanuts, longans and lotus seeds — a rebus wishing 早生贵子 'bear a child soon'.

Same sound, different tones

1st chuāng
window
2nd chuáng
bed
3rd chuǎng
to barge in
4th chuàng
to create

Words unlocked by 床

起床 qǐchuáng
to get up
床上 chuángshang
in bed
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