衣柜
yīguì
The Chinese word for "closet" is 衣柜 (yīguì).
衣柜 specifically refers to a piece of furniture for clothes.
Meaning: furniture (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 衣柜 is a compound of 衣 (clothes) and 柜 (cabinet/cupboard).
Which one should you use?
衣柜 specifically refers to a piece of furniture for clothes, whereas a more general word for a cupboard or cabinet is 柜子.
How do you pronounce it?
yīguì
Did you know?
- The character 柜 (cabinet) originally depicted a traditional Chinese chest with a lid and a lock, which were essential for storing family heirlooms and valuables.
- While 衣柜 is a piece of furniture, the word for a 'walk-in closet' is often translated as 衣帽间 (yī mào jiān), which literally means an 'article of clothing and hat room'.
- In some traditional contexts, the placement of an 衣柜 in a bedroom is governed by Feng Shui to avoid blocking the flow of energy or facing the bed directly.
Examples in context
- 汤姆搜查了衣柜里面。Tom searched inside the closet.This sentence is useful for showing how to describe searching inside the 衣柜.Tatoeba #5091321 by mirrorvan, translation #3736398 by CK
- 站在这个凳子上的话，你可以摸到衣柜顶。If you stand on this stool, you can reach the top of the closet.This sentence is useful for describing how to reach the top of the 衣柜.Tatoeba #1944096 by fercheung, translation #57645 by CK
- 请将这件衣物放到衣柜里。 (Qǐng jiāng zhè jiàn yīwù fàng dào yī guì lǐ.)Please put this garment into the closet.
- 我们的新办公室里有一个大衣柜。 (Wǒmen de xīn bàngōngshì lǐ yǒu yī gè dà yī guì.)Our new office has a large wardrobe.
- 我需要买一个新壁橱来换掉旧的。 (Wǒ xūyào mǎi yī gè xīn bì chú lái huàn diào jiù de.)I need to buy a new closet to replace the old one.
- 她把衣服都挂在了壁橱里。 (Tā bǎ yīfú dōu guà zài le bì chú lǐ.)She hung all her clothes in the closet.
- 这个衣柜很大。Zhège yīguì hěn dà.This closet is very big.
Example conversation
Xiaowen and Junjie are organizing the bedroom.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen俊杰，帮我把衣服放进衣柜里。Jùnjié, bāng wǒ bǎ yīfú fàng jìn yīguì lǐ.Junjie, help me put the clothes in the closet.
- 俊杰 Junjie没问题，哪个衣柜？Méi wèntí, nǎge yīguì?No problem, which closet?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen就那个白色的衣柜。Jiù nàge báisè de yīguì.Just that white closet.
- 俊杰 Junjie好的，我这就把它放好。Hǎode, wǒ zhè jiù bǎ tā fàng hǎo.Okay, I'll put them in right now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
