边角 (biān jiǎo) — edge, corner (of an object); remnants, scraps (leftover material); (literary) border region, frontier

Definition

边角 literally means the edge or corner of a physical object; extended to the leftover scraps from cutting or manufacturing. In literary writing it also means a border region or frontier.

noun
edgecorner (of an object)remnantsscraps (leftover material)(literary) border regionfrontier

Examples

  • 边角，。
    Zhè ge zhuō zi de biān jiǎo hěn fēng lì, yào xiǎo xīn.
    The edge of this table is very sharp, be careful.
  • 边角。
    Gōng chǎng bǎ zhè xiē biān jiǎo liào chóng xīn jiā gōng le.
    The factory reprocessed these scrap materials.
  • 边角。
    Gǔ dài shī rén cháng miáo xiě biān jiǎo zhī dì de huāng liáng jǐng sè.
    Ancient poets often described the desolate scenery of border regions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

边biānedge
角jiǎocorner

边 means edge and 角 means corner; together they name the outer parts or leftover scraps.

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 邊; 边 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalking; movement
Sound part声符shēngfú
臱
臱mián邊biān(r)
Same sound today

The traditional form 邊 pairs 辶 (walking; movement) with the sound part 臱; the simplified 边 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 边 →

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

The form 角 is a picture of a horn.

Open 角 →

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