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伊斯坦布尔 (Yī sī tǎn bù ěr) — Istanbul, Turkey

Definition

noun
IstanbulTurkey

Examples

  • 伊斯坦布尔。
    Wǒ míng nián dǎ suàn qù Yī sī tǎn bù ěr lǚ yóu.
    I plan to travel to Istanbul next year.
  • 伊斯坦布尔。
    Yī sī tǎn bù ěr Wèi yú tǔ ěr qí de xī běi bù.
    Istanbul is located in northwestern Turkey.
  • 伊斯坦布尔。
    Yī sī tǎn bù ěr Shì yí zuò lì shǐ yōu jiǔ de chéng shì.
    Istanbul is a city with a long history.

Origin

Characters in this word

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
尹
尹yǐn伊yī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 亻 shows a person. The right part 尹 is used for the sound.

Open 伊 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 斯 →

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
旦
旦dàn坦tǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

坦 is made from 土 (earth) plus 旦, which provides the sound. The earth part shows the sense is about ground.

Open 坦 →

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
巾巾jīnkerchief
Sound part声符shēngfú
父
父fù布bù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

布 pairs 巾, a kerchief, with 父 as a sound part.

Open 布 →

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 爾; 尔 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 爾, simplified as 尔, originally drew cloth on a loom with crossing threads. It was borrowed for its sound to write “you,” so the picture is unrelated to that meaning.

Open 尔 →
Appears in
City & Urban

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