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不远处 (bù yuǎn chù) — not far away; nearby

Definition

A noun for a short, walkable distance away — used as a place phrase, e.g. "不远处有一家商店" ("there's a shop not far away"). It's more specific than 附近 ("the general vicinity").

noun
not far awaynearby

Examples

  • 不远处。
    bù yuǎn chù Yǒu yí zuò tú shū guǎn.
    There is a library not far away.
  • 不远处，。
    Tā jiù zhù zài bù yuǎn chù, zǒu lù wǔ fēn zhōng jiù dào.
    He lives nearby, just a five-minute walk away.
  • 不远处。
    bù yuǎn chù Chuán lái yí zhèn xiào shēng.
    A burst of laughter came from not far away.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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
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 →

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
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