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西亚 (Xī Yà) — West Asia (also called Southwest Asia)

Definition

noun
West Asia (also called Southwest Asia)

Examples

  • 西亚。
    Xī Yà Bāo kuò le xǔ duō zhōng dōng guó jiā.
    West Asia includes many Middle Eastern countries.
  • 西亚。
    Jīn nián xià tiān wǒ jì huà qù Xī Yà lǚ xíng.
    This summer I plan to travel to West Asia.
  • 西亚。
    Xī Yà De lì shǐ hé wén huà fēi cháng fēng fù.
    The history and culture of West Asia are very rich.

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.

西xīwest
亚yàAsia

西 gives west and 亚 stands for Asia, making West Asia.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 西 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 亞; 亚 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 亞 likely shows an overhead view of a construction, perhaps a 亞-shaped tomb. Its later simplified form 亚 is just a shorthand.

Open 亚 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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