二线 (èr xiàn) — second-tier (city, brand, etc.); rear line (military or organizational)

Definition

Used as a classifier complement to mean 'second-tier' — usually paired with 城市 or 品牌 to rank a place or product below the top tier (一线). Can also mean stepping back from a front-line role.

noun
second-tier (city, brand, etc.)rear line (military or organizational)

Examples

  • ，二线。
    Běi jīng hé shàng hǎi shì yī xiàn chéng shì, chéng dū hé háng zhōu shì èr xiàn chéng shì.
    Beijing and Shanghai are first-tier cities; Chengdu and Hangzhou are second-tier cities.
  • 二线，。
    Zhè ge pǐn pái suī rán zhǐ shì èr xiàn pǐn pái, dàn zhì liàng hěn hǎo.
    Although this brand is only a second-tier brand, the quality is good.
  • ，。
    Tā zài gōng sī yǐ jīng tuì jū èr xiàn, zhǔ yào fù zé gù wèn gōng zuò.
    He has stepped back to the second line in the company, mainly responsible for advisory work.

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.

二èrsecond
线xiànline

二 marks the second or rear position, and 线 is a line, so together they mean a second-tier or rear line.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →

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