mén
noun HSK 1 #389

Measure Word

shàn

Meanings

  1. 1 door
  2. 2 gate
  3. 3 entrance

Examples

Qǐng guān mén.
Please close the door.
Mén kāi zhe ne.
The door is open.

Tips

history
The traditional character is a pictograph of two swinging doors. The simplified keeps the left half. It's also a common radical in characters related to openings and enclosures: , , .
usage
is also a measure word for academic subjects: (one course/subject).

Components

pictograph
mén
door; gate
Three-stroke is its own Kangxi radical and not further decomposable. Simplified from , which depicted a pair of swinging double-doors with their vertical posts and curved tops — the modern simplified form keeps just one leaf with the post-and-top silhouette. Anchors the family of door-words: (ask at a door), (shut), (between).

Stroke Order

mén