乐都 (Lè dū) — Ledu (a district in Haidong, Qinghai province, China)

Definition

A district in Haidong, Qinghai province. Referred to as one of Qinghai's ancient cities, often paired with its long history.

noun
Ledu (a district in Haidong, Qinghai province, China)

Examples

  • 乐都。
    Wǒ qù nián qù guò Lè dū.
    I went to Ledu last year.
  • 乐都。
    Lè dū Shì qīng hǎi de yí gè gǔ chéng.
    Ledu is an ancient city in Qinghai.
  • 乐都？
    Nǐ zhī dào Lè dū de lì shǐ ma?
    Do you know the history of Ledu?

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

Open 乐 →

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
邑邑yìtown, city
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě都dōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

都 is built from 者, which supplies the sound, and 邑, meaning town or city.

Open 都 →

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