屋 simplified
屋 traditional · same
wū
room · dwelling · house · a named study or retreat
部首 bùshǒu · 尸 shī body/corpse 9 笔画 bǐhuà strokes HSK 1–3 tone 1 · wū
笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

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字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure
字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

屋 = 尸 shī (body — a person bent or lying, representing the human form) + 至 zhì (to arrive). A person arriving at a place and staying — a shelter into which one arrives and remains. The 尸 radical is not about death; in its original form it represents a person crouching or at rest, and it recurs in characters about human habitation and posture: 居 jū (to dwell), 层 céng (floor/story), 尾 wěi (tail — the rear end of a body).

The distinction between 屋 wū and 房 fáng is subtle but real: 房 (a room, typically in a building) emphasizes walls and division; 屋 (a room or dwelling) emphasizes the whole shelter, the space one inhabits. In practice they overlap, but 屋 has a more intimate, complete quality — it is the whole of one's dwelling.

屋 appears in the name of this site: 角落書屋 — the corner book-room. A small, complete dwelling for books and reading.

房间与空间 fángjiān yǔ kōngjiān Rooms & Spaces
房间 fángjiān room (inside a building)
N 名词 míngcí
房 fáng (room; building-section) + 间 jiān (space between; a measure word for rooms). The standard neutral word for a room in a house, hotel, or office. 三室两厅 = three bedrooms two living rooms (standard real-estate description).
这栋楼有多少间房间？
Zhè dòng lóu yǒu duōshǎo jiān fángjiān?
How many rooms does this building have?
屋子 wūzi room; the inside of a dwelling
N 名词 míngcí
屋 wū + 子 zi (nominalization suffix). The colloquial word for a room or the interior of a small house. Warmer and more intimate than 房间. Used in everyday spoken Chinese for the space one actually lives in.
屋子里有点冷。
Wūzi lǐ yǒudiǎn lěng.
It's a bit cold in the room.
这间屋子很温馨。
Zhè jiān wūzi hěn wēnxīn.
This room is very cozy and warm.
屋顶 wūdǐng roof; rooftop
N 名词 míngcí
屋 wū (dwelling) + 顶 dǐng (top; summit; to carry on the head). The roof — the top of a dwelling. 在屋顶上 = on the rooftop. Also used figuratively in the idiom 屋漏偏逢连夜雨.
猫在屋顶上跑来跑去。
Māo zài wūdǐng shàng pǎo lái pǎo qù.
The cat was running back and forth on the rooftop.
居所 jūsuǒ Dwelling — House, Home & Shelter
屋 vs. 房 vs. 家 · Dwelling Vocabulary Compared 屋 wū → the space itself; physical shelter; intimate (书屋, 茅屋 thatched hut)
房 fáng → a room within a building; also real estate (买房 mǎifáng = buy a flat)
家 jiā → home as a social/emotional unit; family; belonging (回家 = go home, 家人 = family)
茅屋 máowū thatched hut; humble dwelling
N 名词 míngcí
茅 máo (thatch grass) + 屋 wū (dwelling). A simple hut roofed with grass. The 茅屋 is a literary image of humble, virtuous poverty — the dwelling of the reclusive scholar or hermit. Du Fu's famous poem 茅屋为秋风所破歌 (My Thatched Roof Is Torn Apart by Autumn Wind) made this one of the most potent dwellings in Chinese literature.
杜甫在成都曾住过一间茅屋。
Dùfǔ zài Chéngdū céng zhùguò yī jiān máowū.
Du Fu once lived in a thatched hut in Chengdu.
小屋 xiǎo wū small room; cabin; cottage; little shelter
N 名词 míngcí
小 xiǎo (small) + 屋 wū. A small dwelling — intimate, often cozy or rustic. In fiction and poetry, 小屋 carries warmth: a retreat, a nest, a place apart. In real estate, sometimes used lightly for a studio flat.
我们在山里有一间小屋。
Wǒmen zài shān lǐ yǒu yī jiān xiǎo wū.
We have a small cabin in the mountains.
命名传统 mìngmíng chuántǒng Place Naming — 屋 in Scholar's Studios
斋号 zhāihào · The Scholar's Studio Name

A deep tradition in Chinese literary culture is the naming of one's study or studio — the 斋号 zhāihào or 书斋名. Scholars, poets, and painters gave their private workrooms evocative names, often ending in 屋, 斋, 楼, 轩, or 堂. The name expressed their aesthetic, philosophical identity, or aspirations.

Examples: 苏轼 Su Shi called his studio 雪堂 (Snow Hall). 蒲松龄 Pu Songling worked in 聊斋 (Idle Studio) — giving his ghost story collection its name 聊斋志异. 鲁迅 Lu Xun worked in 三味书屋 (Three-Flavor Book House) as a boy — 三味 refers to the taste of reading poetry, history, and philosophy.

This site follows the same tradition: 角落書屋 — the Corner Book-Room. A small named place where reading happens.

成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases
屋漏偏逢连夜雨 wū lòu piān féng lián yè yǔ the roof leaks, and then it rains all night — misfortunes come in clusters The Chinese equivalent of "when it rains, it pours." A leaking roof is already misfortune; continuous rain compounds it. Often quoted as half-proverb with the paired line: 船迟又遇打头风 (the boat is delayed and then hits a headwind). Very natural in everyday speech.
金屋藏娇 jīn wū cáng jiāo to keep a beauty in a golden house — to keep a mistress in luxury From a Han dynasty story: Emperor Wu as a child said he would build a golden house for the girl Ah Jiao (阿娇) if she became his wife. Now means to keep a mistress in a secret dwelling. A literary idiom that appears in Tang poetry and classical fiction.
满室生辉 mǎn shì shēng huī the whole room glows — a radiant, welcoming presence fills the space Lit: room-full-give-off-radiance. Used for a beautiful person or a remarkable guest whose presence lights up a room. A formal compliment in social and literary contexts.
相邻词汇 xiānglín cíhuì Adjacent Vocabulary
屋子wūziroom; interior of dwelling 书屋shūwūstudy; book-room 茅屋máowūthatched hut 屋顶wūdǐngrooftop 房间fángjiānroom (in a building) 家jiāhome; family; household 居室jūshìliving quarters (formal) 斋zhāistudio; purification room; vegetarian 楼lóumulti-story building; floor 宅zháiresidence; manor; (slang) homebody