八方 (bā fāng) — eight points of the compass; all directions

Definition

Means 'all directions' or 'every quarter' — a literary, written-style word for everywhere/people from everywhere. Most often used in set phrases like 四面八方 and 来自八方的…

noun
eight points of the compassall directions
Easily confused

Examples

  • 八方。
    Lái zì bā fāng de péng you dōu lái le.
    Friends from all directions have come.
  • 八方。
    Zhè ge xiāo xi chuán biàn le bā fāng.
    This news spread in all directions.
  • 八方。
    Wǒ men huān yíng bā fāng de kè rén.
    We welcome guests from all directions.

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.

八bāeight
方fāngdirection

八方 joins 八 (eight) and 方 (directions) to mean the eight compass points.

Characters in this word

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

八 shows two bent lines, indicating the original meaning 'to divide'; it was later used for 'eight' because the words sounded alike.

Open 八 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 方 →

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