敌占区 (dí zhàn qū) — enemy-occupied territory

Definition

A formal, written term — typically historical — for territory held and administered by an invading enemy force. Common in war-history texts (e.g. WWII, the War of Resistance), not everyday speech.

noun
enemy-occupied territory

Examples

  • ，敌占区。
    Kàng zhàn shí qī, huá běi dà bù fen dì qū dōu chéng le dí zhàn qū.
    During the War of Resistance, most parts of North China became enemy-occupied territory.
  • 敌占区。
    Yóu jī duì jīng cháng zài dí zhàn qū lǐ zhǎn kāi mì mì xíng dòng.
    The guerrilla forces often carried out secret operations in enemy-occupied territory.
  • 敌占区，。
    Tā men mào zhe shēng mìng wēi xiǎn chuān yuè dí zhàn qū, chuán dì qíng bào.
    They risked their lives crossing the enemy-occupied territory to deliver intelligence.

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.

敌占enemy occupies
敌díenemy占zhànoccupy
主谓Subject + predicate
区qūarea

敌 (enemy) and 占 (occupy) together describe an 区 (area) held by the enemy.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 敵; 敌 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pūto tap; to hit
Sound part声符shēngfú
啻
啻chì敵dí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 敵 pairs 啻 as a sound part with 攴, a part for tapping or hitting.

Open 敌 →

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 佔; 占 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn佔zhàn
Same sound today

The traditional form 佔 has a person part 亻 and a sound part 占; the simplified 占 is a later abbreviation.

Open 占 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 區; 区 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 區 is made from 匸 and 品; the simplified 区 is a shorthand.

Open 区 →

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