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大自然 (dà zì rán) — nature (the natural world)

Definition

大自然 refers to the natural world as a whole (forests, rivers, animals). It is more vivid and concrete than 自然, which can also mean 'natural' or 'naturally'.

noun
nature (the natural world)

Examples

  • 大自然。
    Wǒ men dōu yào bǎo hù dà zì rán.
    We all need to protect nature.
  • 大自然。
    dà zì rán De jǐng sè hěn měi lì.
    The scenery of nature is very beautiful.
  • 大自然。
    Wǒ xǐ huan zài dà zì rán zhōng sàn bù.
    I like to take a walk in nature.

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.

大dàgreat
自然nature
自zìself然ránsuffix
后缀Suffix

大 contributes great and 自然 means nature, so the whole means great nature.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
肰
肰rán然rán
Same sound today

然 is made from 肰, which gives the sound, and 火, which shows fire, matching the old sense 'to burn'.

Open 然 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Environment & Ecology

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