千岛湖 (Qiān dǎo hú) — Qiandao Lake (in Zhejiang Province, China)

Definition

noun
Qiandao Lake (in Zhejiang Province, China)

Examples

  • 千岛湖浙，。
    Qiān dǎo hú Wèi yú zhè jiāng shěng, shì gè zhù míng de lǚ yóu jǐng diǎn.
    Qiandao Lake is located in Zhejiang Province and is a famous tourist spot.
  • 千岛湖。
    Hěn duō rén xǐ huan qù Qiān dǎo hú zuò chuán yóu lǎn.
    Many people like to go to Qiandao Lake to take a boat tour.
  • 千岛湖。
    Qiān dǎo hú De shuǐ lái zì xīn ān jiāng.
    The water of Qiandao Lake comes from the Xin'an River.

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.

千岛thousand islands
千qiānthousand岛dǎoisland
偏正Modifier + head
湖húlake

千 (thousand) and 岛 (island) describe many islands, and 湖 names the lake.

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
一一yīone, signifying a number
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén千qiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

千 pairs 人, whose sound was similar, with 一, a number stroke; the extra line was explained as extension, and a thousand is a number reached by extending counting.

Open 千 →

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.

Open 岛 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
胡
胡hú湖hú
Same sound today

湖 pairs 水 (water) with 胡 (hú), which gives the sound.

Open 湖 →

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