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土地 (tǔ dì) — land; soil; territory

Definition

土地 is a broad noun covering both the physical ground/soil and a region's territory. Compared to 地方 (a general 'place' or 'area'), 土地 emphasizes the land itself — its soil or ownership. For a country's territory, prefer 国土 or 领土.

noun
landsoilterritory
Measure word · 片, 块

Examples

  • 土地。
    Zhè piàn tǔ dì hěn shì hé zhǒng zhuāng jia.
    This piece of land is very suitable for growing crops.
  • 土地。
    Zhè kuài tǔ dì de tǔ rǎng hěn féi wò.
    The soil of this piece of land is very fertile.
  • 土地。
    Guó jiā bǎo hù měi yí cùn tǔ dì.
    The country protects every inch of its territory.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

土tǔearth
地dìground

土 and 地 both refer to earth or ground, so together they mean land.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 土 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →
Appears in
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