该镇 (gāi zhèn) — (formal) this town; the said town

Definition

该 (gāi) is a formal written pronoun meaning 'the aforementioned / the said' — it points back to something already mentioned, often in news or reports. More formal than 这 zhè, which is everyday speech.

pronoun
(formal) this townthe said town

Examples

  • 该镇，。
    gāi zhèn Wèi yú shān qū, fēng jǐng yōu měi.
    This town is located in the mountains, with beautiful scenery.
  • 该镇。
    Jì zhě cǎi fǎng le gāi zhèn de jū mín.
    The reporter interviewed the residents of this town.
  • 该镇。
    gāi zhèn Zhèng fǔ zài qù nián tōng guò le zhè xiàng jué dìng.
    The town government passed this decision last year.

Origin

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 該; 该 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài該gāi
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 該 pairs 言 (speech) with 亥 as a sound part; the simplified 该 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 该 →

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 鎮; 镇 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
真
真zhēn鎮zhèn
Same sound today

The traditional form 鎮 uses 金, metal, and 真, which gave its sound; it depicted pressing down with a metal weight. The simplified 镇 is a later abbreviation.

Open 镇 →

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