东岸 (dōng àn) — east coast (of a landmass, sea or ocean); east…

Definition

noun

east coast (of a landmass, sea or ocean)east bank (of a river)

东岸。
Měi guó dōng àn de chéng shì jīng jì fēi cháng fā dá.
Cities on the east coast of the United States have a very developed economy.
东岸。
Zhè tiáo hé dōng àn de jǐng sè tè bié měi lì.
The scenery on the east bank of this river is especially beautiful.
东岸。
Tā zhù zài chéng shì dōng àn de yí gè xiǎo zhèn shàng.
He lives in a small town on the east side of the city.

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 (east) and 岸 (bank) combine to mean the eastern bank or coast.

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.

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

屵屵àncliff

Sound part声符shēngfú

干

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

岸 shows 屵, a cliff, next to 干, which gives a clue to the sound; together they point to the edge of land.

Appears in