卧室
wò shì · HSK 5
bedroom
🛏️ 卧室 = lie down (卧) + room (室)
卧 means to lie down or recline, and 室 means room or chamber. So 卧室 is literally the lying-down room — the room where you sleep. 室 also shows up in 教室 (classroom) and 办公室 (office).
卧 — 臣 (minister/eye) + 卜 (divine)
Originally depicted a person bending down with a lowered eye (臣 showing a downturned eye), representing someone lying down or resting. The character evolved to mean 'to lie down' or 'recline,' and by extension 'sleeping quarters.' The 臣 component reflects the bowed posture rather than its 'minister' meaning.
室 — roof 宀 + arrive 至
A semantic compound: 宀 (roof/house) over 至 (to arrive). The image is a place one arrives at and stays in — an inner room. From 'inner chamber' the meaning broadened to 'room' generally, and by extension to specialized rooms like an office or laboratory.