群岛 (qún dǎo) — archipelago | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

archipelago

Measure word · 个

群岛。
Zhè ge qún dǎo yóu shí jǐ gè xiǎo dǎo zǔ chéng.
This archipelago is made up of more than ten small islands.
群岛。
Nán hǎi de qún dǎo fēng jǐng fēi cháng měi lì.
The archipelago in the South China Sea has very beautiful scenery.
群岛。
Lǚ yóu gōng sī kāi fā le nà ge qún dǎo de háng xiàn.
The travel company developed a route to that archipelago.

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.

群 supplies the idea of a cluster, and 岛 names the islands that form the cluster.

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.

君羊群

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

君

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

群 pairs 羊, a sheep, to point to a herd or group, with 君 giving the sound.

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.

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