崇阳 (Chóng yáng) — Chongyang (a county in Hubei Province, China)

Definition

A county name in southeastern Hubei Province. The full form is 崇阳县 (Chóngyáng Xiàn); use 县 in context for clarity, since 崇阳 alone is rare in everyday speech.

noun
Chongyang (a county in Hubei Province, China)

Examples

  • 崇阳。
    Chóng yáng Shì hú běi shěng de yí gè xiàn.
    Chongyang is a county in Hubei Province.
  • 崇阳。
    Chóng yáng Xiàn yǐ qīng shān lǜ shuǐ wén míng.
    Chongyang County is famous for its green mountains and clear waters.
  • 崇阳。
    Wǒ qù nián qù guò Chóng yáng lǚ yóu.
    I went to Chongyang for tourism last year.

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.

崇chóngtowering
阳yángsun or sunny side

崇 suggests towering, and 阳 suggests sun or a sunny side; together they form the place name.

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
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
宗
宗zōng崇
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

崇 is built from 山 (mountain) on top and 宗 below; the mountain shows the idea, while 宗 gives the sound.

Open 崇 →

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 陽; 阳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fùhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng陽yáng
Same sound today

In the traditional form 陽, 阜 shows a hill and 昜 is the older character for the word, tied to sunshine and the sound; simplified 阳 is a later shorthand.

Open 阳 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.