门

門

mén

HSK 2.0Level 2

HSK 3.0Level 2

Frequency#185

Definitions

mén (noun) door; gate

mén (noun) gateway; doorway; entrance

mén (noun) family; household

mén (noun) school of thought; branch of study

Etymology

Simplified form of 門. Pictograph of a gate.

About

The character "门" is the simplified form of the traditional character "門", which pictographically represents a double-door entrance through its structure of two "戶" components, each symbolizing a single door leaf. Initially denoting a physical gate or doorway, the character's meaning extended over time to metaphorical applications, such as indicating a family household in "家门", a school of thought in "门派", or a categorical division in terms like "部门" for a department. The simplified form "门" retains the essential conceptual shape of a door while reducing the stroke count from its traditional counterpart.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

门开着呢。

Mén kāi zhe ne.

The door is open.

学校的大门很漂亮。

Xuéxiào de dàmén hěn piàoliang.

The school gate is very beautiful.

请随手关上这扇门。

Qǐng suíshǒu guān shàng zhè shàn mén.

Please close this door behind you.

他按响了邻居的门铃。

Tā àn xiǎng le línjū de ménlíng.

He rang the neighbor's doorbell.

我走到门前，敲了敲门。

Wǒ zǒu dào mén qián, qiāo le qiāo mén.

I walked to the door and knocked on it.

知识是通往成功的大门。

Zhīshi shì tōng wǎng chénggōng de dàmén.

Knowledge is the gateway to success.

他站在门口犹豫了一会儿。

Tā zhàn zài ménkǒu yóuyù le yīhuì'er.

He stood in the doorway hesitating for a moment.

语言学是研究人类语言的门类。

Yǔyán xué shì yánjiū rénlèi yǔyán de ménlèi.

Linguistics is a discipline that studies human languages.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 门

门