ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

door / gate

mén
3 strokes · 门 itself is the radical — simplified from 門, two swinging door leaves · HSK 2

Where 门 comes from

The traditional 門 is unmistakably two saloon-style door leaves; the simplified 门 keeps the frame in three strokes. It's one of the most productive radicals: whatever happens, happens at the gate — 问 (ask: a mouth at the door), 间 (between: sun through the gap), 闻 (hear: an ear at the door).

门 in Chinese culture

门 organizes Chinese space and society: 开门 (open the door — also 'we're open!'), 出门 (head out), 门口 (doorway). Tiananmen (天安门) is the 'Gate of Heavenly Peace'. Socially, 没门儿! ('no door!') means 'no way!', and a respected school of thought is a 门派. Feng shui obsesses over doors — where fortune enters. Three strokes, and half of Chinese life passes through them.

Example

开门 kāimén — to open the door

商店十点开门。
Shāngdiàn shí diǎn kāimén.
The shop opens at ten.

How to remember it

Two door leaves on a frame — the DOOR.

没门儿! 'there's no door!' = 'absolutely no way!' — refusal, architecturally speaking.

Same sound, different tones

2nd mén
door
4th mèn
bored / stuffy

Words unlocked by 门

开门 kāimén
open the door
出门 chūmén
to go out
门口 ménkǒu
doorway
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