Definitions
About
The character 局, whose traditional form was occasionally written with an added person radical as 侷, originates from the idea of physical curvature or constraint, as suggested by its structural component 尸, representing a bent human body, combined with 句 which denotes something bent or hooked. This underlying sense of a confined or defined area naturally extended its meaning to an administrative office or bureau, a place with specific jurisdictional limits, and from there to the concept of a situation or set of circumstances, which is similarly bounded and defined. Over time, the character’s application broadened from concrete spaces to abstract frameworks, giving rise to its use in compounds referring to the overall state of affairs, a game or match as a bounded event, and even specific establishments like a post office or a chessboard, all unified by the core notion of a defined and organized sphere of activity.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我去邮局寄信。
这个局面很复杂。
他是公安局的局长。
不要局限于旧观念。
局势正在逐渐稳定。
房间显得有点局促。
局外人很难理解内情。
这场棋局他布局巧妙。