场所
chángsuǒ · HSK 3
site
📍🏟️ 场 = field/arena + 所 = place; together: a place/site
场 means an open field or arena (think 广场 = plaza, 机场 = airport). 所 means a place or location (think 厕所 = restroom). Stack them and you get 场所 — a venue, site, or locality where something happens.
场 — earth 土 + 昜 (bright/rising)
Originally a flat open ground used for sun-drying grain or for ritual offerings, hence 土 'earth' as the meaning component. 昜 supplies the sound and hints at an open, sunlit space. The meaning broadened to any open area or venue, and as cháng it still refers to a threshing floor or a session/spell of something.
所 — door 戶 (left) + axe 斤 (right)
Originally a sound: an axe (斤) chopping wood near a door (戶), with 戶 also hinting at the pronunciation. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'place' or 'location,' and later became a grammatical particle nominalizing verbs ('that which…'). The concrete 'chopping' sense faded entirely.