main room; principal room
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
main room (in a traditional Chinese courtyard house); principal room
In traditional siheyuan (courtyard houses), this refers to the north-facing main room, usually reserved for the head of the household or elderly family members. Can also refer to the principal wife in polygamous contexts (archaic).
Yé爷
ye爷
zhù住
zài在
shàng上
fáng房
，
wǒ我
men们
zhù住
zài在
xiāng厢
fáng房
。
Grandpa lives in the main room, while we live in the side rooms.
Zhè这
zuò座
sì四
hé合
yuàn院
de的
shàng上
fáng房
yǒu有
wǔ五
jiān间
，
fēi非
cháng常
kuān宽
chang敞
。
The main room of this siheyuan has five bays and is very spacious.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Jiù旧
shí时
，
shàng上
fáng房
tài太
tai太
zhǎng掌
guǎn管
jiā家
zhōng中
dà大
xiǎo小
shì事
wù务
。
In olden times, the principal wife managed all household affairs.