经纬度 (jīng wěi dù) — longitude and latitude

Definition

noun
longitude and latitude

Examples

  • 经纬度。
    Zhè ge dì tú shàng biāo míng le měi gè chéng shì de jīng wěi dù.
    This map marks the longitude and latitude of every city.
  • GPS经纬度。
    GPS xì tǒng yī kào jīng wěi dù lái què dìng nǐ de wèi zhì.
    The GPS system relies on longitude and latitude to determine your location.
  • 经纬度。
    Qǐng bǎ zhè cì kǎo chá dì diǎn de jīng wěi dù jì lù xià lái.
    Please record the longitude and latitude of this survey site.

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.

经纬longitude and latitude
经jīngmeridian纬wěilatitude
联合Side by side
度dùdegree

经纬 refers to longitude and latitude, and 度 marks their degrees.

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 經; 经 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mìsilk; thread
Sound part声符shēngfú
巠
巠jīng經jīng
Same sound today

The traditional form 經 combines 糹 (silk; thread) with 巠, which gives the sound.

Open 经 →

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 緯; 纬 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
韋
韋wéi緯wěi
Same sound today

The traditional form 緯 has 糸, thread, on the left and 韋 on the right for the sound. The simplified 纬 is a later shorthand.

Open 纬 →

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
又又yòuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
石
石shí度dù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

度 has 又 (hand) and a changed form of 石; 石 gives a related sound, and the hand is tied to using the hand as a reference for measurement.

Open 度 →

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