长岛 (Cháng dǎo) — Changdao County (in Yantai, Shandong)

Definition

noun

Changdao County (in Yantai, Shandong)

长岛。
Cháng dǎo Shì shān dōng shěng de yí gè xiàn.
Changdao is a county in Shandong province.
长岛。
Wǒ cóng yān tái zuò chuán qù Cháng dǎo.
I took a boat from Yantai to Changdao.
长岛。
Cháng dǎo Yǐ xīn xiān de hǎi xiān wén míng.
Changdao is famous for its fresh seafood.

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.

长 means long and 岛 means island, together naming the long island county.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

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 島; 岛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

山山shānmountain

Sound part声符shēngfú

鳥

鳥niǎo島dǎo

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

The traditional form 島 uses 山, meaning mountain, and 鳥 for the sound. The simplified 岛 is a later shorthand.

Appears in