热土 (rè tǔ) — beloved native land; the land of one's birth (with strong emotional or patriotic overtones)

Definition

Literary term for a 'beloved native land' — one's birthplace or homeland charged with deep emotional and patriotic feeling. More formal and emotionally intense than everyday 故乡 or 家乡.

noun
beloved native landthe land of one's birth (with strong emotional or patriotic overtones)

Examples

  • 热土。
    Tā yì shēng dōu zài zhè piàn rè tǔ shàng xīn qín gēng yún.
    He toiled on this beloved land his entire life.
  • 热土。
    Xǔ duō yóu zǐ xīn zhōng zuì shēn de juàn liàn jiù shì gù xiāng de rè tǔ.
    What many expatriates miss most deeply is the beloved soil of their hometown.
  • 热土。
    Zhè piàn rè tǔ yùn yù le wú shù yīng xióng ér nǚ.
    This cherished land has nurtured countless heroic sons and daughters.

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.

热rèwarm
土tǔland

The warm land evokes a beloved native place.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 熱; 热 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
灬Written in full as火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì熱rè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 熱 pairs 埶 with 火 (written as 灬) to show heat, while 埶 gives a sound.

Open 热 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 土 →

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