📘 Lernkarte #2693 — 院 (yuàn)
🔤 Basic Data
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Hanzi: 院
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Pinyin: yuàn
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IPA: [ɥɛn̂]
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Tone: 🟣 4
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Meaning: yard; courtyard; compound; institution (by extension)
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Semantic class: noun
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HSK: 2–3 (core meaning early; institutional uses later)
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Frequency: very high (daily life, institutions)
⭐ Core Meaning
EN:
院 (yuàn) means yard / courtyard, especially a defined enclosed space.
By extension, it also refers to institutions (places with buildings and courtyards).
DE:
院 (yuàn) bedeutet Hof / Innenhof.
Erweitert steht es auch für Institutionen (Gebäudekomplexe).
院 = enclosed place → compound → institution
🔗 Common Collocations
| Hanzi |
Pinyin |
English |
Deutsch |
| 院子 |
yuànzi |
yard / courtyard |
Hof |
| 医院 |
yīyuàn |
hospital |
Krankenhaus |
| 学院 |
xuéyuàn |
college / institute |
Hochschule |
| 法院 |
fǎyuàn |
court (law) |
Gericht |
| 电影院 |
diànyǐngyuàn |
cinema |
Kino |
🇬🇧 ENGLISH — Full Explanation (with Pinyin)
院 (yuàn) originally refers to a courtyard—a common architectural feature.
From there, it naturally extends to places made up of buildings, especially institutions.
Typical usage
physical place
孩子在院子里玩。
Háizi zài yuànzi lǐ wán.
The child is playing in the yard.
institution
他在医院工作。
Tā zài yīyuàn gōngzuò.
He works at a hospital.
public place
这家电影院很大。
Zhè jiā diànyǐngyuàn hěn dà.
This cinema is very big.
⚠️ Usage notes (EN)
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院子 = concrete yard
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standalone 院 often appears in compounds
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very productive morpheme for institutions
🇩🇪 DEUTSCH — Erklärung (mit Pinyin)
院 (yuàn) bezeichnet ursprünglich einen umgrenzten Hof.
Daraus entwickelte sich die Bedeutung Institution / Gebäudekomplex.
Typische Verwendung
Hof
院子里有一棵树。
Yuànzi lǐ yǒu yì kē shù.
Im Hof steht ein Baum.
Institution
她在法院工作。
Tā zài fǎyuàn gōngzuò.
Sie arbeitet beim Gericht.
⚠️ Hinweis (DE)
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allein selten, meist in Zusammensetzungen
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sehr häufig im öffentlichen Leben
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nicht mit 园 (Park/Garten) verwechseln
🌟 COMPARISON — 院 vs similar words
| Meaning |
Pinyin |
Hanzi |
Note |
| yard / institution |
yuàn |
院 |
courtyard → institution |
| garden / park |
yuán |
园 |
green space |
| house |
fáng |
房 |
building / room |
| place |
chǎngsuǒ |
场所 |
general location |
| seat |
zuò |
座 |
place / base (classifier) |
01｜Syllable Analysis — yuàn
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yuàn — IPA [ɥɛn̂] — Tone 4
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rounded front vowel ü-like (y- sound)
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falling tone
Tone pattern: 4
→ fixed, defined place
02｜Mnemonics — 院
| Category |
EN |
DE |
| Meaning link |
enclosed yard |
umschlossener Hof |
| Tone link |
falling = fixed |
fest |
| Visual |
courtyard with walls |
Hof mit Mauern |
| Memory tip |
“places with buildings” |
„Ort mit Gebäuden“ |
03｜Didactic Summary — 院
| Focus |
EN |
DE |
| Meaning |
yard / institution |
Hof / Institution |
| Usage |
places |
Orte |
| Tone |
4th |
4. Ton |
| Register |
neutral |
neutral |
| Frequency |
very high |
sehr hoch |
❌ Common Learner Notes
❌ 院 = 园 ❌ (courtyard ≠ garden)
❌ 院 used alone often ❌ (mostly in compounds)
✅ 院子 ✔️
✅ 医院 ✔️
✅ 学院 ✔️
✅ Fazit #2693 — 院 (yuàn)
EN:
A core high-frequency word meaning yard / courtyard, and a key building block for institutional nouns.
DE:
Ein zentrales Hochfrequenzwort für Hof und ein wichtiges Element vieler Institutionsbegriffe.