疆 (jiāng) — (bound form) border, boundary; (bound form) territory, frontier
Definition
A bound morpheme meaning 'border / frontier / territory' — almost never stands alone, but combines in words like 边疆, 疆域, or place names such as 新疆. Equivalent in meaning to 边 biān in compounds.
bound form
borderboundaryterritoryfrontier
Examples
- 。Zhōng guó de xī bù jiāng yù fēi cháng liáo kuò.China's western territory is very vast.
- 。Tā céng jīng zài biān jiāng fú yì sān nián.He once served in the border area for three years.
- 疆。Xīn jiāng shì yí gè měi lì de dì fāng.Xinjiang is a beautiful place.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
彊
彊qiáng疆jiāng
Same sound today
疆 pairs 土 (earth) with 彊, which gives the sound. The earth part points to land, as in a border.
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