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交界处 (jiāo jiè chǔ) — border area, boundary, junction

Definition

noun
border areaboundaryjunction

Examples

  • 交界处。
    Liǎng guó de jiāo jiè chǔ yǒu jiǎn chá zhàn.
    The border area between the two countries has a checkpoint.
  • 交界处。
    Zhè ge chéng shì wèi yú shěng yǔ shěng de jiāo jiè chǔ.
    This city is located at the boundary between provinces.
  • 交界处。
    jiāo jiè chǔ De fēng jǐng fēi cháng měi lì.
    The scenery at the junction is very beautiful.

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.

交界boundaries meet
交jiāomeet界jièboundary
动宾Verb + object
处chùplace

交界 describes boundaries meeting, and 处 is a place: a place where borders meet.

Characters in this word

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

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

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
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
介
介jiè界jiè
Same sound today

界 is built from 田 (field) and 介. 田 carries the meaning, while 介 gives the sound.

Open 界 →

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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