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日界线 (rì jiè xiàn) — international date line

Definition

noun
international date line

Examples

  • 日界线，。
    Kuà guò rì jiè xiàn shí, rì qī huì gǎi biàn yì tiān.
    When you cross the international date line, the date changes by one day.
  • 日界线，。
    Fēi jī xiàng dōng fēi guò rì jiè xiàn hòu, rì qī yào jiǎn yì tiān.
    After the airplane flies east across the international date line, the date is reduced by one day.
  • 日界线。
    rì jiè xiàn Shì yì tiáo cóng běi jí dào nán jí de jiǎ xiǎng xiàn.
    The international date line is an imaginary line from the North Pole to the South Pole.

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.

日rìdate
界线boundary line
界jièboundary线xiànline
偏正Modifier + head

日 gives the date idea, while 界 and 线 give the boundary line.

Characters in this word

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

日 originally drew the sun. A mark was added inside to tell it apart from similar square shapes.

Open 日 →

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
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
介
介jiè界jiè
Same sound today

界 is built from 田 (field) and 介. 田 carries the meaning, while 介 gives the sound.

Open 界 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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