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沿线 (yán xiàn) — the area along a transportation line (e.g. railway, subway, highway)

Definition

Refers to the area along a specific transportation line (railway, subway, highway). Unlike 沿海/沿岸 (coastal) or 沿途 (the journey itself), 沿线 names a fixed corridor tied to one route.

noun
the area along a transportation line (e.g. railway, subway, highway)

Examples

  • 沿线。
    Tiě lù yán xiàn fù jìn yǒu hěn duō xīn jiàn de fáng zi.
    There are many newly built houses near the railway line.
  • 沿线。
    Dì tiě yán xiàn fù jìn yǒu hěn duō shāng diàn.
    There are many shops near the subway line.
  • 沿线。
    Zhè tiáo gāo tiě yán xiàn jīng guò hǎo jǐ gè chéng shì.
    This high-speed rail line passes through several cities along its route.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

沿yánfollow along
线xiànline

沿 means to follow along and 线 is a line, so 沿线 names the area beside a railway or road.

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

沿 pairs 氵 (water) with 㕣, which shows how it was pronounced; it originally meant the edge of a river, which led to the sense of moving along something.

Open 沿 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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