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仙境 (xiān jìng) — fairyland; wonderland; paradise

Definition

Refers to an enchanting, otherworldly place (a fairyland or paradise). In modern use it describes any breathtakingly beautiful landscape — e.g. an ice-and-snow wonderland.

noun
fairylandwonderlandparadise

Examples

  • 仙境。
    Zhè ge dì fāng xiàng xiān jìng yí yàng měi.
    This place is as beautiful as a fairyland.
  • 仙境。
    Wǒ men lái dào le yí gè bīng xuě xiān jìng.
    We arrived at an ice and snow wonderland.
  • 仙境。
    Chuán shuō zhōng de xiān jìng jiù zài zhè zuò shān lǐ.
    The legendary fairyland is in this mountain.

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.

仙xiānfairy; immortal
境jìngrealm; land

仙 (fairy/immortal) with 境 (realm) gives a fairyland or paradise.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

仙 pairs 亻 (person) with 山 (mountain), showing a person moving into a mountain to become immortal; 山 also gives the sound.

Open 仙 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
竟
竟jìng境jìng
Same sound today

境 pairs 土 (earth) with 竟, which gives the sound; the 土 part carries the meaning.

Open 境 →
Appears in
Mythology & Folklore

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