东京湾 (dōng jīng wān) — Tokyo Bay; (historical) Gulf of Tonkin

Definition

Today 东京湾 usually means Tokyo Bay (Japan). Historically it was also the Chinese name for the Gulf of Tonkin, now called 北部湾.

noun

Tokyo Bay(historical) Gulf of Tonkin

东京湾。
dōng jīng wān Shì rì běn zuì zhòng yào de hǎi wān zhī yī.
Tokyo Bay is one of Japan's most important bays.
，东京湾。
Zài shí jiǔ shì jì de dì tú shàng, dōng jīng wān zhǐ de jiù shì jīn tiān de běi bù wān.
On 19th-century maps, 'Gulf of Tonkin' referred to what is now the Beibu Gulf.
东京湾。
Cóng dōng jīng wān chū fā de huò chuán hěn kuài jiù dào le tài píng yáng.
The cargo ship departing from Tokyo Bay soon reached the Pacific Ocean.

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.

东京Tokyo

偏正Modifier + head

东京 is the place name Tokyo, and 湾 means bay, so the word refers to the bay of Tokyo.

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 東; 东 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 東 originally drew a full bag tied at both ends. The simplified 东 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

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

京 originally drew a tall building.

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 灣; 湾 is its simplified writing.

氵彎灣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

彎

彎wān灣wān

Same sound today

The traditional form 灣 pairs 氵 (water) with 彎, which gives the sound; the simplified 湾 is a shorthand.

Appears in