地理学 (dì lǐ xué) — geography | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

geography

Examples

地理学。
Wǒ dà xué shí zhǔ xiū dì lǐ xué.
I majored in geography in college.
地理学。
dì lǐ xué Yán jiū dì qiú biǎo miàn de zì rán xiàn xiàng hé rén wén fēn bù.
Geography studies natural phenomena and human distributions on the Earth's surface.
地理学，。
Tā duì dì lǐ xué hěn gǎn xìng qù, jīng cháng kàn dì tú.
He is very interested in geography and often looks at maps.

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.

地理earth's principles

地dìearth理lǐprinciple

偏正Modifier + head

Earth, principle, and study combine to mean the study of the land's patterns.

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.

土也地

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.

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

玉玉yùjade

Sound part声符shēngfú

里

里lǐ理lǐ

Same sound today

理 pairs 玉 (jade) with 里, which shows how to say it; the jade part points to the old sense of polishing jade.

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 學; 学 is its simplified writing.

爻爻yáo
六六liù

The traditional form 學 may have used 爻 and 六 for sound, with hands and a child added later; the simplified 学 is a shorthand.

Appears in

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