俄城 (é chéng) — Oklahoma City (abbreviation)

Definition

Short Chinese media abbreviation for Oklahoma City, the U.S. city (home of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder). Less common than the full 俄克拉荷马城.

noun
Oklahoma City (abbreviation)

Examples

  • 俄城。
    é chéng Léi tíng duì shì xī bù qiáng duì.
    The Oklahoma City Thunder is a strong team in the West.
  • 俄城。
    Wǒ qù nián qù é chéng lǚ xíng le yí cì.
    I traveled to Oklahoma City once last year.
  • 俄城？
    Nǐ zhī dào é chéng de bié míng shì shén me ma?
    Do you know what Oklahoma City's nickname is?

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.

俄éOklahoma
城chéngcity

俄 stands for Oklahoma and 城 means city, forming the short name.

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

俄 pairs 亻 (person) with 我, which gives the sound.

Open 俄 →

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tǔsoil
Sound part声符shēngfú
成
成chéng城chéng
Same sound today

城 pairs 土 (soil) with 成 as a sound part, because city walls were originally made of stamped earth.

Open 城 →

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