冰岛 (Bīng dǎo) — Iceland | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Iceland

Examples

冰岛。
Wǒ míng nián xiǎng qù Bīng dǎo lǚ yóu.
I want to travel to Iceland next year.
冰岛。
Bīng dǎo De jí guāng fēi cháng měi lì.
The aurora borealis in Iceland is very beautiful.
冰岛。
Bīng dǎo Shì yí gè wèi yú dà xī yáng běi bù de dǎo guó.
Iceland is an island country located in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean.

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.

冰 (ice) and 岛 (island) combine to mean Iceland.

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.

冫水冰

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

冫

仌bīng冰bīng

Same sound today

冰 adds 水 (water) to 冫, the short form of 仌; 冫 gives the sound, and 水 shows the meaning.

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 島; 岛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

山山shānmountain

Sound part声符shēngfú

鳥

鳥niǎo島dǎo

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

The traditional form 島 uses 山, meaning mountain, and 鳥 for the sound. The simplified 岛 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Geography & Landforms

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