西安 (Xī ān) — Xi'an (capital of Shaanxi Province) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Xi'an (capital of Shaanxi Province)

Examples

西安。
Wǒ qù nián qù le Xī ān.
I went to Xi'an last year.
西安。
Xī ān Shì yí zuò lì shǐ yōu jiǔ de chéng shì.
Xi'an is a city with a long history.
西安？
Nǐ tīng shuō guò Xī ān de bīng mǎ yǒng ma?
Have you heard of the Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an?

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 points to the west and 安 means peace, so the name suggests western peace.

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.

宀女安

Meaning part形符xíngfú

宀宀mián

Sound part声符shēngfú

女

女nǚ安ān

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

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Appears in

China — Places

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