新都 (Xīn dū) — Xindu District (a district of Chengdu, Sichuan)

Definition

noun
Xindu District (a district of Chengdu, Sichuan)

Examples

  • 新都。
    Wǒ qù nián qù le Xīn dū.
    I went to Xindu last year.
  • 新都。
    Xīn dū Zài sì chuān chéng dū.
    Xindu is in Chengdu, Sichuan.
  • 新都。
    Tā de lǎo jiā shì Xīn dū.
    His hometown is Xindu.

Origin

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.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
斤斤jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn新xīn
Same sound today

The shape originally paired 斤, for chopping wood, with 辛 for sound. It was borrowed for its sound to write 新, so the chopping-wood parts are unrelated to 'new'.

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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
邑邑yìtown, city
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě都dōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

都 is built from 者, which supplies the sound, and 邑, meaning town or city.

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