北部 (běi bù) — northern part | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

北部 means 'northern part' of a region or country — pair it with 南部 for 'southern part'. Use it as a noun (e.g. 这个国家的北部), not as a direction word on its own like 北 or 北方.

noun

northern part

Examples

北部。
Zhè ge guó jiā de běi bù yǒu hěn duō shān.
The northern part of this country has many mountains.
北部。
Wǒ men zhù zài chéng shì de běi bù qū.
We live in the northern district of the city.
北部。
běi bù Dì qū dōng tiān huì xià xuě.
The northern region gets snow in winter.

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.

部bùpart; section

The first part gives the direction north, and the second part means section, so together it is the northern part.

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'.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

咅

咅pǒu部bù

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

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 4 Directions

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