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亚 (yà) — (bound form) Asia; (bound form) second, inferior, sub-

Definition

亚 is a bound form: in place names it means 'Asia' (亚洲), and as a prefix it means 'second' or 'sub-/inferior' (亚军, 亚热带). It only appears as part of a longer word.

bound form
Asiasecondinferiorsub-

Examples

  • 。
    Wǒ qù guò yà zhōu hěn duō cì.
    I have been to Asia many times.
  • 。
    Tā zài bǐ sài zhōng huò dé le yà jūn.
    He won second place in the competition.
  • 。
    yà Rè dài de qì hòu bǐ jiào shī rùn.
    The climate in the subtropics is relatively humid.

Origin

Pictograph
六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíng

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 亞; 亚 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 亞 likely shows an overhead view of a construction, perhaps a 亞-shaped tomb. Its later simplified form 亚 is just a shorthand.

Appears in
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