北国 (běi guó) — (literary) the northern region of a country, especially China

Definition

A literary name for 'the north' of a country, especially northern China with its cold winters and sweeping landscapes. Mostly used in poetry and prose, not everyday speech.

noun
(literary) the northern region of a country, especially China

Examples

  • 北国。
    Zhè shǒu shī gē miáo huì le běi guó de zhuàng lì jǐng sè.
    This poem depicts the magnificent scenery of the northern region.
  • 北国，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo zài běi guó zhǎng dà, duì nà lǐ de hán lěng xí guàn le.
    He grew up in the north and is used to the cold there.
  • 北国，。
    běi guó De dōng tiān suī rán hán lěng, dàn yǒu zhe dú tè de měi.
    Although the winter in the north is cold, it has a unique beauty.

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.

北běinorth
国guócountry

北 gives 'north' and 国 gives 'country', together naming the northern region.

Characters in this word

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

The form 北 shows two people standing back to back. It originally meant 'back'.

Open 北 →

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 國; 国 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéiclosure
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò國guó
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 國 uses 囗 to show closure and 或 to give the sound.

Open 国 →

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