Meaning of 院
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- courtyard
- institution
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 院
On its own, 院 often means a yard, but it mostly appears in words for public buildings and institutions, such as 医院 (yīyuàn) hospital, 学院 (xuéyuàn) college, and 电影院 (diànyǐngyuàn) cinema. Example: 我妈妈在医院工作。(Wǒ māma zài yīyuàn gōngzuò.) My mom works at a hospital.
院 (yuàn) has the 阝 radical on the left, which stands for a mound or wall, and 完 (wán) on the right. Picture a walled space that is complete and closed in, like a courtyard or the grounds of an institution.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the right side as 元 (yuán) and forget the 宀 roof on top. The correct component is 完, so the roof must be there. Also keep the fourth tone yuàn, and do not confuse it with 远 (yuǎn, far).
院 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
院 yuàn · courtyard · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 院.
| 医院 | yīyuàn | hospital |
| 学院 | xuéyuàn | college; educational institute |
| 电影院 | diànyǐngyuàn | cinema; movie theater |
| 院子 | yuànzi | courtyard; garden |
| 出院 | chūyuàn | to leave hospital; to be discharged from hospital |
| 院长 | yuànzhǎng | the head of an institution whose name ends in 院[yuan4]; chair of a board; university presi |
| 住院 | zhùyuàn | to stay in hospital; to be hospitalized |
| 法院 | fǎyuàn | court of law; court |
| 剧院 | jùyuàn | theater |
| 养老院 | yǎnglǎoyuàn | nursing home |
| 院士 | yuànshì | member of a national academy |
| 四合院 | sìhéyuàn | courtyard house with a fully enclosed courtyard (type of Chinese residence) |
Questions about 院
What does 院 mean?
院 (yuàn) means "courtyard; institution" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 院?
院 is made of 1 character: 院 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 院 an HSK word?
Yes. 院 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 院子 and 院?
院子 (yuànzi) is the everyday word for a courtyard or yard at a home. 院 by itself is more often a building block in compound words like 医院 or 法院 (fǎyuàn, court of law).
How do you say to be hospitalized and to leave the hospital?
Use 住院 (zhùyuàn) for staying in the hospital as a patient and 出院 (chūyuàn) for being discharged. For example, 他明天出院。(Tā míngtiān chūyuàn.) He leaves the hospital tomorrow.