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海边 (hǎi biān) — seaside, seafront, beachfront area

Definition

noun
seasideseafrontbeachfront area

Examples

  • 海边。
    Měi nián xià tiān wǒ men dōu qù hǎi biān dù jià.
    We go on vacation at the seaside every summer.
  • 海边。
    Bàng wǎn zài hǎi biān sàn bù hěn shū fu.
    Taking a walk along the seafront in the evening is very pleasant.
  • 海边，。
    Zhè dòng fáng zi jiù zài hǎi biān, néng kàn jiàn dà hǎi.
    This house is right by the seaside, so you can see the ocean.

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
边biānedge

海 names the sea and 边 names its edge, giving seaside.

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 邊; 边 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalking; movement
Sound part声符shēngfú
臱
臱mián邊biān(r)
Same sound today

The traditional form 邊 pairs 辶 (walking; movement) with the sound part 臱; the simplified 边 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 边 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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