suǒ

actually

place; classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc; that which; particle introducing a relative clause or passive; CL:個|个[ge4]

Door (户) + axe (斤) = the place where work gets done

A door (户) plus an axe (斤) originally evoked a place where woodcutting happens — hence a specific location or premises. Over time 所 extended to mark 'that which' and introduce relative or passive constructions, while retaining its core sense of a bounded place or institution.

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DoorSemantic
AxeSemantic

Words with 所

所以

suǒ yǐ

therefore

所以然

suǒ yǐ rán

the reason why

造船所

zào chuán suǒ

shipyard

道之所存,师之所存

dào zhī suǒ cún , shī zhī suǒ cún

If sb has grasped the truth before you, take him as your teacher (Tang dynasty essayist Han Yu 韓愈|韩愈[Han2 Yu4]).

适得其所

shì dé qí suǒ

exactly what one would wish

避难所

bì nàn suǒ

a refuge; a haven; a sanctuary

医务所

yī wù suǒ

clinic

防空避难所

fáng kōng bì nàn suǒ

(Tw) air-raid shelter

阿其所好

ē qí suǒ hào

to pander to sb's whims

随心所欲

suí xīn suǒ yù

(idiom) to follow one's heart's desires; to do as one pleases

饱食终日,无所用心

bǎo shí zhōng rì , wú suǒ yòng xīn

to eat three square meals a day and do no work (idiom)

香港交易所

xiāng gǎng jiāo yì suǒ

Hong Kong Stock Exchange

More characters with 户