西岸 (xī àn) — west coast | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

west coast

Examples

西岸。
xī àn De qì hòu bǐ dōng àn gèng wēn nuǎn.
The climate on the west coast is warmer than on the east coast.
西岸。
Hěn duō gōng sī bǎ zǒng bù shè zài xī àn.
Many companies set up their headquarters on the west coast.
西岸。
Tā men yán zhe xī àn jià chē lǚ xíng.
They took a road trip along the west coast.

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 means west and 岸 means bank or coast, naming the western coast.

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

屵屵àncliff

Sound part声符shēngfú

干

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

岸 shows 屵, a cliff, next to 干, which gives a clue to the sound; together they point to the edge of land.

Appears in

Geography & Landforms

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