东海道 (dōng hǎi dào) — Tōkaidō (the historic coastal road in Japan connecting Edo and Kyoto)

Definition

A proper noun referring to the Tōkaidō, the historic Japanese coastal road linking Edo (Tokyo) and Kyoto during the Edo period, famous for its fifty-three post stations.

noun
Tōkaidō (the historic coastal road in Japan connecting Edo and Kyoto)

Examples

  • 东海道。
    dōng hǎi dào Shì rì běn lì shǐ shàng zuì zhòng yào de jiāo tōng yào dào zhī yī.
    The Tōkaidō was one of the most important transportation routes in Japanese history.
  • 东海道，。
    Yán zhe dōng hǎi dào lǚ xíng, kě yǐ kàn dào xǔ duō gǔ lǎo de yì zhàn chéng zhèn.
    Traveling along the Tōkaidō, you can see many ancient post-station towns.
  • 东海道。
    Fú shì huì huà jiā gē chuān guǎng zhòng yǐ miáo huì dōng hǎi dào de fēng jǐng ér wén míng.
    The ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Hiroshige is famous for depicting the scenery of the Tōkaidō.

Origin

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.

东海
东dōngeast海hǎisea
偏正Modifier + head
道dàoroad

东 means east, 海 sea, and 道 road, describing the road by the eastern sea.

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.

Open 东 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi海hǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

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