偏僻 (piān pì) — remote, secluded, desolate

Definition

Describes a place that is far from cities and hard to reach, with few people. Compared with 遥远 (which can describe time or an abstract distance), 偏僻 is physical only and emphasizes being off-the-beaten-path, like 偏远 and 边远.

adjective
remotesecludeddesolate

Examples

  • 偏僻
    Zhè ge cūn zhuāng hěn piān pì, hěn shǎo yǒu rén lái.
    This village is very remote; few people come.
  • 偏僻
    Nà jiā lǚ guǎn wèi yú piān pì de shān shàng.
    That hotel is located on a remote mountain.
  • 偏僻
    Suī rán zhè lǐ hěn piān pì, dàn fēng jǐng hěn měi.
    Although it's very remote here, the scenery is beautiful.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

piānremote
secluded

偏 (remote) and 僻 (secluded) combine to describe a far, quiet place.

Characters in this word

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
Written in full asrén
Sound part声符shēngfú
biǎnpiān
Same sound today

偏 combines 亻 (人, a person) with 扁, which gives the sound.

Open 偏 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 僻 →

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