半岛 (bàn dǎo) — peninsula | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

peninsula

Measure word · 个

半岛。
Zhè zuò bàn dǎo wèi yú zhōng guó de nán fāng.
This peninsula is located in China's south.
半岛。
Cháo xiǎn bàn dǎo shì yí gè bǐ jiào zhòng yào de dì qū.
The Korean Peninsula is a relatively important region.
半岛。
Wǒ men zuò chuán rào guò le nà ge bàn dǎo.
We sailed around that peninsula.

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.

The part “半” means half and “岛” means island; together they describe land almost surrounded by water.

Characters in this word

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

The shape pairs 八 (to divide) with 牛 (cow), showing a cow cut into two halves.

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.

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