ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
室

room

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

What 室 is made of

宀 + 至 = 室
宀roof
至arrive

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

师
1st shī
teacher
十
2nd shí
ten
史
3rd shǐ
history
室
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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