东欧 (dōng ōu) — Eastern Europe | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Eastern Europe

东欧。
dōng ōu Yǒu xǔ duō lì shǐ yōu jiǔ de chéng shì.
There are many cities with a long history in Eastern Europe.
东欧。
Tā zài dōng ōu lǚ xíng le yí gè yuè.
She traveled in Eastern Europe for a month.
东欧。
dōng ōu De jīng jì jìn nián lái fā zhǎn hěn kuài.
The economy of Eastern Europe has developed rapidly in recent years.

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 gives the east idea, and 欧 gives the Europe idea, together naming Eastern Europe.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 歐; 欧 is its simplified writing.

區欠歐

Meaning part形符xíngfú

欠欠qiànto yawn; to exhale

Sound part声符shēngfú

區

區qū歐Ōu

Same sound today

The traditional form 歐 pairs 區 as a sound with 欠 (to yawn; to exhale), and was originally written for vomiting; simplified 欧 is a later shorthand.