(tīng) — (b.f.) shore, beach, shoal (in literary/poetic compounds and place names)

Definition

汀 (tīng) is a literary bound form meaning a shore, sandbar, or shoal — almost never used alone, appearing mainly in poetic compounds like 汀洲, 汀线, 汀渚 and in place names.

bound form
(b.f.) shorebeachshoal (in literary/poetic compounds and place names)

Examples

  • Yuǎn chù de tīng zhōu shàng zhǎng mǎn le lú wěi.
    The distant islet was covered with reeds.
  • Zhè tiáo hé de tīng xiàn měi nián dōu zài biàn huà.
    The shoreline of this river changes every year.
  • Shī rén cháng yǐ tīng zhǔ wèi yì xiàng biǎo dá lí bié zhī qíng.
    Poets often use the sandbank as an image to express the feeling of parting.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
shuǐriver
Sound part声符shēngfú
dīngtīng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

汀 pairs 水 (water or river) with 丁, which gives its sound.

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