西伯利亚 (Xī bó lì yà) — Siberia | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Siberia

西伯利亚。
Xī bó lì yà Shì é luó sī zuì hán lěng de dì qū zhī yī.
Siberia is one of the coldest regions in Russia.
西伯利亚。
Tā céng jīng zài Xī bó lì yà gōng zuò guò sān nián.
He once worked in Siberia for three years.
西伯利亚。
Cóng mò sī kē dào Xī bó lì yà de huǒ chē xū yào zuò hǎo jǐ tiān.
The train from Moscow to Siberia takes several days.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

人人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

白

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

伯 pairs 人 (person) with 白, which gives its sound.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

利 combines 禾 (grain) and 刀 (knife), showing a knife used to cut grain.

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.

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