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天桥 (Tiān qiáo) — (place name) Tianqiao, an area in Beijing known for its folk culture and entertainment history; (noun) overhead bridge, footbridge

Definition

Literally 'sky bridge.' Most commonly used as a place name referring to the historic Tianqiao area of Beijing, famous for folk arts and crosstalk (相声) — not the same as 牡丹 (a flower).

noun
(place name) Tianqiao, an area in Beijing known for its folk culture and entertainment historyoverhead bridgefootbridge
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 天桥。
    Tiān qiáo Shì lǎo běi jīng mín jiān yì shù de xiàng zhēng.
    Tianqiao is a symbol of old Beijing's folk arts.
  • 天桥。
    Wǒ men zǒu Tiān qiáo guò mǎ lù ba.
    Let's cross the street using the footbridge.
  • 天桥。
    Hěn duō yóu kè qù Tiān qiáo kàn xiàng sheng biǎo yǎn.
    Many tourists go to Tianqiao to watch crosstalk performances.

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.

天tiānheaven
桥qiáobridge

天 and 桥 form a heaven bridge, naming an overhead bridge or place.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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 橋; 桥 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
喬
喬qiáo橋qiáo
Same sound today

The traditional form 橋 pairs 木 (wood) with 喬 (qiáo), which gave the character its sound; the simplified 桥 is a later abbreviation.

Open 桥 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9China — PlacesBuildings & Structures

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