旧地 (jiù dì) — a place once visited; a former haunt

Definition

Literary word for a place one has visited before — almost always paired with 重游 or 重访 to mean 'revisit an old haunt'. Far more written than the plain 地方.

noun
a place once visiteda former haunt
Easily confused

Examples

  • 旧地，。
    Duō nián hòu tā chóng yóu jiù dì, gǎn kǎi wàn qiān.
    Years later he revisited the old place, filled with mixed emotions.
  • 旧地，。
    Huí dào jiù dì, tā fā xiàn yí qiè dōu biàn le.
    Returning to the once-visited place, he found everything had changed.
  • 旧地。
    Zhè běn shū miáo xiě le zuò zhě zhòng fǎng jiù dì de jīng lì.
    This book describes the author's experience of revisiting an old place.

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.

旧jiùformer
地dìplace

旧 former describes a 地 place that was visited before.

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 舊; 旧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雈雈huánowl
Sound part声符shēngfú
臼
臼jiù舊jiù
Same sound today

The traditional form of 旧 is 舊, which shows 雈, an owl, above 臼, which gives the sound.

Open 旧 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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