墨西哥湾 (Mò xī gē wān) — Gulf of Mexico | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Gulf of Mexico

Examples

墨西哥湾。
Mò xī gē wān Shì běi měi zhōu de yí gè zhòng yào hǎi wān.
The Gulf of Mexico is an important gulf in North America.
墨西哥湾。
Měi nián dōu yǒu hěn duō yóu kè qù Mò xī gē wān lǚ xíng.
Every year many tourists travel to the Gulf of Mexico.
墨西哥湾。
Mò xī gē wān De shēng tài huán jìng shòu dào wū rǎn de yǐng xiǎng.
The ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico is affected by pollution.

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.

墨西哥Mexico

墨mò西xī哥gē

墨西哥 gives the place name Mexico, and 湾 marks the gulf.

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.

黑土墨

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔsoil

Sound part声符shēngfú

黑

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

墨 is built from 土 (soil) and 黑, with 黑 giving the sound.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 灣; 湾 is its simplified writing.

氵彎灣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

彎

彎wān灣wān

Same sound today

The traditional form 灣 pairs 氵 (water) with 彎, which gives the sound; the simplified 湾 is a shorthand.

Appears in

Geography & Landforms

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