廂 (xiāng) - Wing-room & side-room

廂Tone 1

xiāng ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

万响

廂 · xiāng

Wing-room;

side-room;

box (theater);

compartment;

railway carriage.

Wing-roomside-roombox (theater)

Usage highlights

Railway carriageTheater boxWingEast wingWest wingLeft wing

Synonyms

  • 房— room (general term)
  • 室— chamber, room

Antonyms

  • 正— main, central (antonym to side/wing)
  • 中— center, middle

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • We booked a box at the theater (戏院包厢).
  • The train has both soft and hard seats (软座和硬座车厢).
  • The luggage is stored in the side room (行李放在厢房里).
  • This is the east wing of the building (这是大楼的东厢).

Collocations

  • Railway carriage(车厢)
  • Theater box(包厢)
  • Wing-room(厢房)
  • East wing(东厢)
  • West wing(西厢)
  • Left wing(左厢)

Idioms

  • The Romance of the Western Chamber(西厢记)
  • Left and right wings(左右两厢)
  • One carriage after another(一厢又一厢)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Traditionally refers to side rooms flanking the main hall in Chinese courtyard architecture.
  • The term gained literary fame through the Yuan dynasty play 'Romance of the Western Chamber' (西厢记).
  • In modern usage, extended to mean compartments and boxes in various contexts.

FAQ