岸 (àn) — shore, coast, bank (of a river, sea, or lake)
Definition
岸 is the 'shore' or 'bank' you stand on — a geographic term. Unlike 银行 ('bank' the institution), 岸 is always land next to water. Often appears in compounds like 海岸 and 海滨.
noun
shorecoastbank (of a river, sea, or lake)
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 。Zhè tiáo hé de àn biān zhǒng le hěn duō shù.The bank of this river has many trees planted along it.
- 。Xià tiān rén men xǐ huan qù hǎi àn yóu yǒng.In summer, people like to go to the coast to swim.
- 。Duì àn de cūn zhuāng kàn qǐ lái hěn jìn.The village on the opposite shore looks very close.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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
屵屵àncliff
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān岸àn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
岸 shows 屵, a cliff, next to 干, which gives a clue to the sound; together they point to the edge of land.
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