河道 (hé dào) — river course; river channel | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

河道 (hédào) specifically refers to the physical course or channel of a river — the bed and path the water follows — rather than the river itself (河).

noun

river courseriver channel

Measure word · 条

Examples

河道，。
Zhè tiáo hé dào xiá zhǎi wān qū, shuǐ liú tuān jí.
This river course is narrow and winding, with swift currents.
河道。
Zhèng fǔ jì huà qīng lǐ hé dào zhōng de yū ní.
The government plans to clear the silt from the river course.
，河道。
Yóu yú lián xù xià yǔ, hé dào de shuǐ wèi bú duàn shàng shēng.
Due to continuous rain, the water level of the river course keeps rising.

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.

道dàochannel

河 names a river and 道 its channel, together giving the river course.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

何

何hé河hé

Same sound today

河 pairs 水 (water) with 何, which gives the sound. The 水 part marks it as a word for a river.

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

行行xíngstreet

止止zhǐfoot

Sound part声符shēngfú

𩠐

首shǒu道dào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Appears in

Geography & Landforms

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