硫黄岛 (liú huáng dǎo) — Iwo Jima (island in the Pacific, site of a WWII battle)

Definition

硫黄岛 is the Chinese name for Iwo Jima, the Pacific island famous for the WWII battle and the iconic American flag-raising photograph. It is a proper noun used in history readings and war-related texts.

noun
Iwo Jima (island in the Pacific, site of a WWII battle)

Examples

  • 硫黄岛。
    liú huáng dǎo Shì dì èr cì shì jiè dà zhàn de zhòng yào zhàn chǎng.
    Iwo Jima was an important battlefield of World War II.
  • 硫黄岛，。
    Guān yú liú huáng dǎo de lì shǐ, wǒ dú guò yì běn shū.
    I have read a book about the history of Iwo Jima.
  • 硫黄岛。
    liú huáng dǎo Wèi yú tài píng yáng xī bù.
    Iwo Jima is located in the western Pacific 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.

硫黄sulfur
硫liúsulfur黄huángyellow
主谓Subject + predicate
岛dǎoisland

硫 is sulfur and 黄 is yellow, together naming the yellow mineral; 岛 is island.

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
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
流
流liú硫liú
Same sound today

The left part 石 is stone; the right part 流 supplies the sound liú.

Open 硫 →

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 黃; 黄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
炗
炗guāng黃huáng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 黃 pairs 田 (field) with 炗 (light), which gives the sound; the simplified 黄 is a shorthand and its parts are not historical components.

Open 黄 →

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 島; 岛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
鳥
鳥niǎo島dǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 島 uses 山, meaning mountain, and 鳥 for the sound. The simplified 岛 is a later shorthand.

Open 岛 →

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