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九州 (Jiǔ zhōu) — (poetic) a name for China; (geography) Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan; (historical) the nine ancient divisions of China

Definition

九州 has two distinct uses: in Chinese poetry it means 'China / the land' (大禹 divided the realm into nine regions); pronounced Kyūshū, it's the southernmost main island of Japan.

noun
(poetic) a name for China(geography) Kyushuthe southernmost island of Japan(historical) the nine ancient divisions of China

Examples

  • 九州。
    Chuán shuō zhōng dà yǔ jiāng tiān xià fēn wéi Jiǔ zhōu.
    Legend says that Yu the Great divided the land into the nine provinces.
  • 九州，。
    Jiǔ zhōu Dà dì, lì jīng cāng sāng.
    The land of China has experienced many changes.
  • 九州。
    Fú gāng shì rì běn Jiǔ zhōu zuì dà de chéng shì.
    Fukuoka is the largest city in Kyushu, Japan.

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.

九jiǔnine
州zhōudivision

The number 九 with 州 (divisions) names the ancient nine regions.

Characters in this word

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

The shape comes from a stylized hand bent at the wrist, with the lower-right hook showing the bend. Later, it was taken to show a tightened fist bumping up to ten, giving the number nine.

Open 九 →

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

州 originally drew an islet in a river.

Open 州 →
Appears in
China — Places

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