住院
zhùyuàn · HSK 2
be hospitalized
🏥🛏️ 住 (reside) + 院 (courtyard/institution) = reside in an institution
住 means to live/reside, and 院 refers to an enclosed institution like a hospital, school, or courtyard. Together they literally mean residing at the institution — i.e., being admitted as an inpatient.
住 — person radical 亻 + 主 (master/zhǔ, phonetic)
住 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 亻 (person) gives the meaning—something a person does—while 主 supplies the sound, originally 'zhǔ' (master, a lamp standing in place). Together they suggest a person staying put, yielding the senses 'to live, dwell, reside, stop'.
院 — left ear 阝(阜) + complete 完
院 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left 阝 (from 阜, mound/hill) suggests walls or enclosed terrain, hinting at an enclosed space. The right 完 (wán) provides the sound and originally meant 'complete', so 院 came to mean a walled courtyard or institution like a hospital or academy.