small attic room in old Shanghai buildings
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
a small, cramped room located above the staircase at the back of old-style Shanghai buildings, typically with poor lighting
dialectRefers to a specific architectural feature of traditional shikumen (stone-gate) houses in Shanghai. Historically associated with modest living conditions and often used as a bedroom or study.
Yǐ以
qián前
wǒ我
men们
yī一
jiā家
wǔ五
kǒu口
jiù就
jǐ挤
zài在
yī一
jiān间
tíng亭
zi子
jiān间
lǐ里
。
In the past, our family of five was crammed into a single small attic room.
Shí石
kù库
mén门
fáng房
zi子
lǐ里
de的
tíng亭
zi子
jiān间
tōng通
cháng常
yòu又
xiǎo小
yòu又
àn暗
。
The attic rooms in shikumen-style houses are usually small and dark.
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Tā他
bǎ把
tíng亭
zi子
jiān间
gǎi改
zào造
chéng成
le了
yī一
gè个
xiǎo小
shū书
fáng房
。
He converted the small attic room into a little study.