密歇根州 (Mì xiē gēn zhōu) — Michigan, US state | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

MichiganUS state

Examples

密歇根州。
Wǒ qù nián xià tiān qù le Mì xiē gēn zhōu lǚ yóu.
I went to Michigan for travel last summer.
密歇根州。
Mì xiē gēn zhōu Wèi yú měi guó zhōng xī bù.
Michigan is located in the Midwest of the United States.
密歇根州。
Wǒ de péng you zài Mì xiē gēn zhōu shàng dà xué.
My friend is attending university in Michigan.

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.

密歇根Michigan

密mì歇xiē根gēn

音译Transliteration

“密歇根” spells Michigan, and “州” means state, so it names the state of Michigan.

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.

宓山密

Meaning part形符xíngfú

山山shānmountain

Sound part声符shēngfú

宓

宓mì密mì

Same sound today

密 pairs 山 (mountain) with 宓 (mì), which gives the pronunciation, to picture something hidden in the mountains, hence secret.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

曷欠歇

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

曷

曷hé歇xiē

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

歇 uses 曷 for its sound hé and 欠 for its meaning.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木艮根

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

艮

艮gèn根gēn(r)

Same sound today

根 pairs 木 (tree/wood), pointing to plant roots, with 艮 as a sound part.

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

州 originally drew an islet in a river.

Appears in

Geography & Landforms

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