内华达州 (Nèi huá dá zhōu) — Nevada (US state)

Definition

noun

Nevada (US state)

内华达州。
Wǒ qù nián xià tiān qù guò Nèi huá dá zhōu.
I went to Nevada last summer.
内华达州。
Nèi huá dá zhōu De shā mò fēng jǐng fēi cháng zhuàng guān.
The desert scenery of Nevada is very spectacular.
内华达州。
Lā sī wéi jiā sī shì Nèi huá dá zhōu zuì dà de chéng shì.
Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada.

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.

内华达Nevada

音译Transliteration

The name 内华达 spells Nevada, and 州 marks it as a state.

Characters in this word

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

The shape shows 入 entering into 冂, a house, so it pictures bringing something indoors, giving the sense inside.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 華; 华 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 華 showed flowers on a plant, with stalk and leaves below. The simplified 华 is a later shorthand and not the original picture.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

辶大达

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

大

Same sound today

This form 达 pairs 辶 (written in full as 辵) with 大 as a sound component.

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

州 originally drew an islet in a river.