亚拉巴马州 (Yà lā bā mǎ zhōu) — Alabama (US state)

Definition

noun

Alabama (US state)

亚拉巴马州。
Yà lā bā mǎ zhōu Shì měi guó de yí gè zhōu.
Alabama is a state of the United States.
亚拉巴马州。
Tā lái zì Yà lā bā mǎ zhōu.
She comes from Alabama.
亚拉巴马州。
Yà lā bā mǎ zhōu De tiān qì hěn rè.
The weather in Alabama is very hot.

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.

亚拉巴马Alabama

亚拉巴马 spells Alabama, and 州 marks it as a state.

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 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.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

立

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拉 pairs 手 (hand) with 立, a component that supplies the sound.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.

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

州 originally drew an islet in a river.