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海湾 (hǎi wān) — bay, gulf

Definition

海湾 is a geographical bay or gulf of the sea. 港湾 refers to a harbor or port (man-made or natural) where ships dock.

noun
baygulf
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 海湾，。
    Zhè ge hǎi wān fēi cháng níng jìng, shì hé dù jià.
    This bay is very peaceful and suitable for a holiday.
  • 海湾。
    Yú mín men měi tiān zài hǎi wān lǐ bǔ yú.
    Fishermen fish in the bay every day.
  • 海湾。
    Cóng shān dǐng kě yǐ kàn jiàn zhěng gè hǎi wān.
    From the mountaintop you can see the whole bay.

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.

海hǎisea
湾wānbay

海湾 joins 海 and 湾 to describe a curved inlet of the sea.

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

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →

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 灣; 湾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
彎
彎wān灣wān
Same sound today

The traditional form 灣 pairs 氵 (water) with 彎, which gives the sound; the simplified 湾 is a shorthand.

Open 湾 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Geography & Landforms

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