TongTong
Sign in

本镇 (běn zhèn) — this town; our town (formal, used in official contexts)

Definition

本镇 (běn zhèn) is a formal pronoun meaning 'this town / our town,' used mostly in official or written contexts such as notices and announcements. Here 本 functions like 'this/our,' distinguishing it from the plain noun 镇 ('town').

pronoun
this townour town (formal, used in official contexts)

Examples

  • 本镇。
    běn zhèn Jiāng yú xià yuè jǔ bàn wén huà jié.
    This town will hold a cultural festival next month.
  • 本镇。
    běn zhèn De jū mín dōu fēi cháng yǒu hǎo.
    The residents of this town are very friendly.
  • 本镇。
    Huān yíng lái dào běn zhèn cān guān.
    Welcome to visit our town.

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.

本běnthis
镇zhèntown

本 (this) and 镇 (town) combine to mean this town.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Open 本 →

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 鎮; 镇 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
真
真zhēn鎮zhèn
Same sound today

The traditional form 鎮 uses 金, metal, and 真, which gave its sound; it depicted pressing down with a metal weight. The simplified 镇 is a later abbreviation.

Open 镇 →
Appears in
City & Urban

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