庭

tíng
noun #3,102

Meanings

  1. 1 courtyard; hall
  2. 2 court (of law); family

Examples

HSK 3
Jiātíng shì zuì zhòngyào de.
Family is the most important thing.
HSK 4
Fǎtíng shàng hěn ānjìng.
The courtroom is very quiet.

Tips

usage
庭 is mainly used in compounds: 家庭 (family/household), 法庭 (court of law), 庭院 (courtyard), 开庭 (to hold court). Literally 'a hall under a roof' (广 + 廷).

Components

radical
广 yǎn
shelter; broad roof (radical form)
Outer 广 is the indexing broad-roof radical - a wide roof with a leftward sloping wall, picturing a hall built against a hillside. Marks 庭 as an architectural space, the open courtyard or judicial hall under cover. Same radical family: 店 shop, 庙 temple, 府 mansion, 库 storehouse, 床 bed-frame.
phonetic
廷 tíng
imperial court (here phonetic)
Inner 廷 supplies the sound tíng exactly and adds the original meaning: 廷 was the imperial audience hall where the ruler held court. Combined with the broad-roof radical, the compound specifies the physical courtyard or judicial chamber - the place where the court convenes. So 廷 is phonetic plus semantic boost, not a pure sound loan.

Stroke Order

庭 tíng