所

suǒ

HSK 5, 6

所 — suǒ

1. actually; in fact

   他有所成就，大家都看在眼里。 tā yǒusuǒ chéngjiù dàjiā dōu kànzàiyǎnlǐ — He has achieved something; everyone can see it.

2. place; location; (often in compounds, e.g. 研究所 'research institute')

   研究所位于市中心。 yánjiūsuǒ wèiyú shìzhōngxīn — The research institute is located in the city center.

3. classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions, etc.

   他在今年卖了三所房子。 tā zài jīnnián mài le sānsuǒ fángzi — He sold three houses this year.

4. that which; what (used to nominalize a verb phrase)

   我所想的只是一个安静的生活。 wǒ suǒxiǎng de zhǐshì yígè ānjìng de shēnghuó — What I want is just a quiet life.

5. particle introducing a relative clause or passive construction (literary/formal)

   他所写的文章被刊登了。 tā suǒxiě de wénzhāng bèi kāndēng le — The article that he wrote was published.