边远 (biān yuǎn) — remote, outlying, far from the center

Definition

边远 (biānyuǎn) means 'far from the center' — used for regions, villages, and areas on the geographic or administrative periphery. Compared to 偏远, it is more neutral and formal, often paired with 地区 or 山区.

adjective

remoteoutlyingfar from the center

Examples

边远。
Zhè ge biān yuǎn dì qū jiāo tōng hěn bù fāng biàn.
This remote area has very inconvenient transportation.
边远。
Tā cóng xiǎo zài biān yuǎn shān qū zhǎng dà.
He grew up in a remote mountain area.
边远。
Nà ge biān yuǎn xiǎo zhèn zhǐ yǒu jǐ bǎi rén.
That remote small town has only a few hundred people.

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.

边biānborder

远yuǎnfar

边 indicates a border area, and 远 means far; together they describe a place remote from the center.

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.

辶臱邊

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 →

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

辶元远

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk

Sound part声符shēngfú

元

元yuán远yuǎn

Same sound today

远 combines 辶, meaning walk, with 元, used for its sound.

Open 远 →

Appears in