殿

diàn
noun #13,825

Measure Word

殿 zuò

Meanings

  1. 1 palace hall; temple; grand hall

Examples

Gùgōng lǐ yǒu hěnduō dàdiàn.
There are many grand halls in the Forbidden City.
Zhè zuò diàn jiàn yú Míngcháo.
This hall was built during the Ming Dynasty.

Tips

culture
殿 typically refers to grand ceremonial or imperial halls. The most famous is 殿 (Hall of Supreme Harmony) in the Forbidden City.

Components

radical
shū
weapon; pole-axe (radical)
Right side — a hand wielding a long-handled weapon, the indexing radical. Suggests guards posted at the great hall; combined with the roofed ritual scene on the left, the whole character pictures the throne room secured by armed retainers.
semantic
shī
corpse; body; building
Top-left — originally a seated figure, here standing in for a roofed structure (the same architectural sense seen in , , ). Anchors 殿 in the family of dwellings and large buildings.
semantic
gòng
together; share
Lower-left — two hands raising an offering. Inside the roof it pictures formal ritual being conducted indoors, the ceremonial weight that pushed 殿 toward 'grand hall / palace audience chamber' rather than ordinary house.

Stroke Order

殿 diàn