Writing Balance Rule: The outer shelter structure (广) should frame the inner component (壬) loosely and gracefully without crowding it.
1. Meaning
courtyard
main halllaw courtgovernment office
NounNeutral#architecture#law#governance
Sample Usage
他们在庭院里散步。
Tāmen zài tíngyuàn lǐ sànbù.
They are taking a walk in the courtyard.
法庭开庭了。
Fǎtíng kāitíng le.
The court is now in session.
2. Sound
/[tʰiŋ³⁵]/Tone: 35
庭
tíngting2
|
++
´(35)
=tíng
Initial Consonant
t
Type: Aspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: t sound in English 'top'
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Explosive puff of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST flutter.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind upper front teeth, releasing a puff of air.
Final Rhyme
ing
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -ing rhymes with 'sing'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eeng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises like a questioning tone in English, such as when you say 'Huh?' or 'Really?' with an upward inflection.
Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2 syllable, it undergoes normal Tone 2 sandhi rules, shifting closer to a high rising pitch.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the rising Tone 2 (tíng) with Tone 4 (tìng), which drops sharply. Ensure your voice goes UP at the end.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Imagine your hand starting at your chest and swooping upward into the air like an airplane taking off, reflecting the rising pitch of Tone 2.
3. Writing
Topology: Semi-enclosure · Strokes: 9 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The outer shelter structure (广) should frame the inner component (壬) loosely and gracefully without crowding it.
Semantic Clue (形旁):广 (Indicates a physical structure, building, or sheltered area.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):廷 (original sound: tíng)
A shelter (广) built over a grand courtyard where people gather (廷).
广 shelter / building roof
壬 person standing / phonetic clue
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally combined the shelter radical (广) to denote a hall or enclosed yard, and 廷 as the phonetic element which also contributed the idea of an open court or official gathering place.
Semantic Evolution: Shifted from a physical palace courtyard or hall to general courtyards, legal courts, and government institutions.
In ancient China, the imperial court where officials addressed the emperor was referred to as the imperial courtyard or hall.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
đình
Mandarin Tone 2 (rising) corresponds roughly to Vietnamese ngã or hỏi depending on historical evolution, realized here as 'đình'.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: テイ / Kun: 庭 (niwa)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
정
Sound Shift Bridge: The initial 't-' remains consistent across many cognate structures, matching the dental plosive origins.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Underneath the large building shelter (广), a person stands proudly in the spacious courtyard (庭) breathing in the fresh air.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
廷
tíngcourt / imperial courtLacks the shelter roof (广), focusing purely on the official court aspect.
停
tíngto stopAdds the person radical (亻) to indicate a person stopping under a roof.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
停(tíng)
停 has the person radical (亻) meaning someone stopping, whereas 庭 has the shelter radical (广) meaning a courtyard or hall.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
他们在法[___]里进行了激烈的辩论。
Clue: tíng
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing 庭 (courtyard/court) with 停 (to stop) because they share the same pronunciation and phonetic component.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 庭, what building feature and associated legal or architectural meanings come to mind?
Production: How do you write the character for 'courtyard' or 'court' (tíng) combining a shelter and a phonetic part?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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庭tíngcourtyard, hall, court
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