江南区 (jiāng nán qū) — Jiangnan District (a district of Nanning, Guangxi)

Definition

Proper noun: Jiangnan District, an urban district of Nanning (南宁) in Guangxi. Used only as a place name with 的, 在, or as a bare subject — no general meaning.

noun
Jiangnan District (a district of Nanning, Guangxi)

Examples

  • 江南区。
    Wǒ zhù zài jiāng nán qū.
    I live in Jiangnan District.
  • 江南区。
    jiāng nán qū Shì nán níng de yí gè zhòng yào chéng qū.
    Jiangnan District is an important urban district of Nanning.
  • 江南区。
    Tā cóng xiǎo zài jiāng nán qū zhǎng dà.
    He grew up in Jiangnan District.

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.

江南south of the river
江jiāngriver南nánsouth
偏正Modifier + head
区qūdistrict

江南 (south of the river) names the area, and 区 is the district.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng江jiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

江 puts 氵, the water side, beside 工, which gives a sound; the water part points to its river meaning.

Open 江 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 南 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 區; 区 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 區 is made from 匸 and 品; the simplified 区 is a shorthand.

Open 区 →

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