玄关

玄關

xuánguān

noun

Meanings

1 entrance hall
2 foyer
3 vestibule

Characters

profound; mysterious

Examples

进门的玄关放了个换鞋凳。

Jìnmén de xuánguān fàng le gè huàn xié dèng.

There's a shoe-changing bench in the entryway.

玄关镜可以让空间显得更大。

Xuánguān jìng kěyǐ ràng kōngjiān xiǎn de gèng dà.

A foyer mirror can make the space look bigger.

Tips

history

Originally a Buddhist term — 玄关 literally means 'gateway to the profound / mysterious pass', referring in Chan/Zen texts to the threshold of enlightenment. The word was later borrowed into Japanese as 'genkan' for the entry foyer, then flowed back into Chinese interior-design vocabulary with its modern domestic meaning.

Stroke Order

玄 xuán

关 guān