象牙海岸 (Xiàng yá hǎi àn) — Ivory Coast (country in West Africa) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Ivory Coast (country in West Africa)

Examples

象牙海岸。
Wǒ míng nián jì huà qù Xiàng yá hǎi àn lǚ yóu.
I plan to travel to Ivory Coast next year.
象牙海岸。
Xiàng yá hǎi àn Shì fēi zhōu xī bù de yí gè guó jiā.
Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa.
象牙海岸。
Zuì jìn Xiàng yá hǎi àn de jīng jì fā zhǎn hěn kuài.
Ivory Coast's economy has been developing quickly recently.

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.

象牙ivory

象xiàngelephant牙yátusk

偏正Modifier + head

海岸coast

海hǎisea岸ànshore

偏正Modifier + head

象牙 elephant tusk and 海岸 sea shore combine as Ivory Coast.

Characters in this word

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

象 is drawn as an elephant, with a long trunk, a head, and a big body.

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.

氵每海

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

每

每měi海hǎi

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

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

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.

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