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place / that which

suǒ
8 strokes · 户 (door) + 斤 (axe) — the sound of an axe at the door: a workplace · HSK 2

Where 所 comes from

所 pairs a door 户 with an axe 斤 — by origin, the sound of chopping, borrowed early for 'place': where the work happens. The axe by the door marks the spot.

所 in Chinese culture

所 marks places and abstractions alike: 厕所 (toilet — the place every traveler must ask for), 所以 (therefore — 'that by which'), 所有 (all — 'that which is had'). Institutional China lives at 所: 派出所 (police station), 研究所 (research institute), 诊所 (clinic). Ask 厕所在哪儿? on day one; appreciate 所以 by week two; by month three, 所有的汉字 — all the characters — are yours.

Example

所以 suǒyǐ — therefore / so

请问,厕所在哪儿?
Qǐngwèn, cèsuǒ zài nǎr?
Excuse me, where is the restroom?

How to remember it

An axe 斤 working by the door 户 — the PLACE where things get done.

厕所在哪儿 ('where's the toilet?') is statistically among the first full sentences every learner deploys in China.

Same sound, different tones

1st suō
to shrink
3rd suǒ
place

Words unlocked by 所

所以 suǒyǐ
therefore
厕所 cèsuǒ
restroom
所有 suǒyǒu
all
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