费城 (Fèi chéng) — Philadelphia | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Philadelphia

费城。
Fèi chéng Shì měi guó dōng hǎi àn de yí zuò lì shǐ míng chéng.
Philadelphia is a historic city on the East Coast of the United States.
费城，。
Wǒ qù nián qù Fèi chéng lǚ yóu, cān guān le zì yóu zhōng.
I traveled to Philadelphia last year and visited the Liberty Bell.
费城，。
Tā zài Fèi chéng shēng huó le shí nián, hěn xǐ huan nà lǐ de yì shù fēn wéi.
He lived in Philadelphia for ten years and really liked the art atmosphere there.

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 費; 费 is its simplified writing.

弗貝費

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèicowry

Sound part声符shēngfú

弗

弗fú費fèi

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

The traditional form 費 has 貝, a cowry shell, and 弗, which gives a sound; the simplified 费 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the original pieces.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

土成城

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔsoil

Sound part声符shēngfú

成

Same sound today

城 pairs 土 (soil) with 成 as a sound part, because city walls were originally made of stamped earth.

Appears in