Learn a Chinese Character - 寨 (zhài) - Stockade, Fort

1. Character Basics (汉字基本信息)

Radical: 宀 (roof radical, often related to houses or shelters)

Stroke Count: 14

Character Decomposition: 宀 + 祭 (roof + sacrifice, suggesting a place with a certain structure and religious or important activities)

Stroke Order:

2. Pronunciation (发音)

Pinyin: zhài (Fourth tone)

3. Meaning (含义)

寨 mainly means a stockade, fort, or a mountain stronghold. It can also refer to a village or settlement in some contexts. (“寨”主要指寨子、堡垒、山寨等，在某些语境中也可指村庄、聚居地。)

4. Common Words (常用词汇)

• 山寨 (shān zhài) - mountain stronghold, imitation (referring to unlicensed products)
• 村寨 (cūn zhài) - village
• 边寨 (biān zhài) - border stockade

5. Grammar & Usage (语法与用法)

寨 is mainly used as a noun. It can be combined with other nouns to form compound words, such as “山寨” (mountain stronghold), “村寨” (village). (“寨”主要用作名词，可与其他名词组合成复合词，如“山寨”“村寨”。)

6. Cultural Background (文化背景)

In Chinese history, mountain strongholds (寨) were often built in mountainous areas for defense purposes. They were also important settlements for some ethnic groups. In modern times, the word “山寨” also has a new meaning of imitation products. (在中国历史上，山寨常常建在山区用于防御，也是一些少数民族的重要聚居地。在现代，“山寨”这个词还有仿冒产品的新含义。)

7. Example Sentence (例句)

8. Memory Tips (记忆技巧)

You can think of 寨 as a place with a roof (宀) where people perform sacrifices (祭). Historically, a stockade or fort was a place with certain religious or important activities. (你可以把“寨”想象成一个有屋顶（宀）的地方，人们在那里进行祭祀（祭）活动。历史上，寨子或堡垒是有特定宗教或重要活动的地方。)