南下 (nán xià) — to go south (from north to south, often for travel or relocation)

Definition

南下 means 'to go south' (verb), typically from a northern starting point, for travel, relocation, or military movement. The directional verb 下 ('down/southward') is fixed here; contrast with 上去/下去 where 下 marks a southward destination.

verb
to go south (from north to south, often for travel or relocation)

Examples

  • ，南下。
    Měi nián dōng tiān, hěn duō hòu niǎo dōu huì nán xià guò dōng.
    Every winter, many migratory birds go south to spend the winter.
  • 南下。
    Tā jué dìng míng nián nán xià zuò shēng yi.
    He decided to go south to do business next year.
  • 南下，。
    Jūn duì nán xià, bǎo wèi le guó jiā.
    The army went south and defended the country.

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.

南nánsouth
下xiàgo down

“南” means south and “下” means go down, together they mean to go south.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 南 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

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