public chamber, hall
堂 centers on a large, dignified indoor space: a public chamber or hall where people gather.
堂 combines 土 (earth, ground) with a phonetic element that also suggests a raised platform or building. The character originally referred to an elevated hall or chamber built on a raised earthen foundation.
The top part looks like a roof over a gathering space, and the bottom 土 is the solid ground. Picture a grand hall with a high roof standing on firm earth.
For ドウ, imagine a deep, resonant 'doh' sound echoing through the hall: doh -> ドウ, like a low note filling the chamber.
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temple; shrine; chapel
dining room; dining hall; cafeteria; canteen; messroom
magnificent; grand; impressive; dignified; majestic; imposing; stately
Nintendo
(Confucian) temple; church; sanctuary
palace; hall
assembly hall; parliament house; diet building; capitol; houses of parliament; congress hall
Shiseido (Japanese cosmetics firm)
main hall (of a Buddhist temple); main temple
fair and square; open and aboveboard; bold and forthright
town hall; public hall
auditorium; lecture hall
enshrinement hall (of a buddha); temple
one building (hall, temple, shrine, room)
Sanseido (publisher)
sutra library
heaven; paradise
wayside shrine
on the roof; court nobles
temple dedicated to Kannon