廷

tíng
noun #14,165

Meanings

  1. 1 palace courtyard
  2. 2 imperial court

Examples

HSK 6
Gōngtíng lǐ de shēnghuó bìngbù zìyóu.
Life in the palace court was not free.
HSK 7-9
Dàchén men zài cháotíng shàng yìshì.
The ministers discussed matters at the imperial court.

Tips

usage
廷 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It's mainly found in compounds like 朝廷 (imperial court), 宫廷 (palace), and 廷臣 (courtier).

Components

radical
廴 yǐn
stretching pace; long stride (Kangxi radical)
Outer 廴 is the long-stride radical (Kangxi #54) - a curving leg-and-foot stretching out, distinct from the shorter 辶 walking radical. Indexing radical of 廷, marking it as a space where formal, ceremonial motion takes place. Same radical: 延 to extend, 建 to build, 廻 to circle back.
semantic
壬 rén
ninth heavenly stem; person standing
Inner 壬 is a stylised pictograph of a person standing on a platform of earth - exactly the imagery wanted for an imperial court: a sovereign or official standing at the centre of a ceremonial space. Combined with 廴 stretching outward, the full picture is the formal hall where audiences are held. Survives in 朝廷 imperial court, 法廷 tribunal.

Stroke Order

廷 tíng