床

牀

chuáng

广 + 木

HSK 3.0Level 2

Frequency#1068

Definitions

chuáng (noun) bed

Etymology

Depicts a bed (爿) made from wood (木). Originally written as 爿 or 牀.

About

The character for "bed", now commonly written as "床", derives from the traditional form "牀" which semantically integrates "爿" indicating a piece of wood or a structural side, with "木" for wood, clearly denoting its material makeup. The simplified form "床" replaces "爿" with the radical "广" suggesting a shelter or spatial concept, while retaining "木" to maintain the wooden association. Originally referring specifically to a raised platform for sleeping, the meaning of "床" gradually extended to describe any similar flat, supportive surface or framework, such as a riverbed, a flowerbed, or the bed of a machine, reflecting a logical expansion based on form and function.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是我的床。

Zhè shì wǒ de chuáng.

This is my bed.

这张床很舒服。

Zhè zhāng chuáng hěn shūfú.

This bed is very comfortable.

我把书放在床上。

Wǒ bǎ shū fàng zài chuáng shang.

I put the book on the bed.

床单需要洗了。

Chuángdān xūyào xǐ le.

The bed sheet needs to be washed.

他每天整理床铺。

Tā měitiān zhěnglǐ chuángpù.

He makes the bed every day.

如果累了，你可以躺在床上休息。

Rúguǒ lèi le, nǐ kěyǐ tǎng zài chuáng shang xiūxi.

If you're tired, you can lie on the bed and rest.

因为昨天睡得太晚，所以今天起床困难。

Yīnwèi zuótiān shuì de tài wǎn, suǒyǐ jīntiān qǐchuáng kùnnán.

Because I slept too late yesterday, it's hard to get up today.

虽然新床的价格很贵，但是它的质量确实很好。

Suīrán xīn chuáng de jiàgé hěn guì, dànshì tā de zhìliàng quèshí hěn hǎo.

Although the new bed is expensive, its quality is really good.

Related Characters

Component: 广

Component: 木

床