亚细亚 (Yà xì yà) — (proper noun) Asia (historical loanword)

Definition

亚细亚 is an old, literary Chinese rendering of 'Asia,' used mainly in historical or formal writing. The modern everyday word is 亚洲.

noun

(proper noun) Asia (historical loanword)

亚细亚。
Yà xì yà Shì dì qiú shàng zuì dà de zhōu.
Asia is the largest continent on Earth.
亚细亚。
Yà xì yà Zhè ge míng zì zuì zǎo tōng guò chuán jiào shì jìn rù zhōng guó.
The name 'Asia' first entered China through missionaries.
“亚细亚”，。
Nà jiā lǎo shāng diàn de míng zì jiù jiào "Yà xì yà", tīng qǐ lái hěn yǒu lì shǐ gǎn.
That old store is named 'Asia', which sounds very historical.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 亞; 亚 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 亞 likely shows an overhead view of a construction, perhaps a 亞-shaped tomb. Its later simplified form 亚 is just a shorthand.

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 細; 细 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

囟

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 細 pairs 糸, silk or thread, with 囟 for the sound. The simplified 细 is a later shorthand, and the old right part changed shape.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 亞; 亚 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 亞 likely shows an overhead view of a construction, perhaps a 亞-shaped tomb. Its later simplified form 亚 is just a shorthand.

Appears in