院
yuàn · courtyard💡 How to pronounce
y → like the 'y' in 'yes'. uàn → like 'wahn' with a falling tone.
📖 The Story
院 is a courtyard — an open space enclosed by walls and buildings. In traditional Chinese architecture, the courtyard is the heart of the home — a place where family members gather, children play, and the sky is visible above. The character combines 'mound' (阜) and 'complete' (完) — the courtyard is the complete space within the walls.
🎬 In Culture Today
Chinese houses are traditionally built around a courtyard. The Forbidden City is a series of courtyards, each one larger than the last. In the '四合院' (sì hé yuàn) — the four-sided courtyard house — the courtyard is a microcosm of the universe.
📝 Example Sentences
院子里有一棵树。
There is a tree in the courtyard.
他去医院看病。
He goes to the hospital to see a doctor.