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主干道 (zhǔ gàn dào) — main road, arterial road, thoroughfare

Definition

noun
main roadarterial roadthoroughfare
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 主干道。
    Zhè tiáo zhǔ gàn dào shì chéng shì zuì fán máng de dào lù zhī yī.
    This main road is one of the busiest roads in the city.
  • 主干道。
    Měi tiān zǎo shàng zhǔ gàn dào shàng dōu dǔ chē.
    Every morning there is a traffic jam on the main road.
  • 主干道。
    Xīn jiàn de zhǔ gàn dào dà dà gǎi shàn le jiāo tōng zhuàng kuàng.
    The newly built arterial road greatly improved traffic conditions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

主干main trunk
主zhǔmain干gāntrunk
偏正Modifier + head
道dàoroad

主干道 joins 主干 (main trunk) and 道 (road) for a main arterial road.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →

The simplified 干 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (饼干, 干杯) it is 乾; in others (干, 干活儿) (干扰) it is 幹 or 干.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 乾; 干 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
乙乙yǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
倝
倝gàn乾gān
Same sound today
Open 干 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →
Appears in
Roads & Traffic

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