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出海 (chū hǎi) — to go out to sea; to put out to sea

Definition

Literally 'go out to sea' — used for ships setting sail or fishermen heading offshore. Figuratively (at higher levels) it can mean a company expanding overseas.

verb
to go out to seato put out to sea

Examples

  • 出海。
    Tā men míng tiān chū hǎi bǔ yú.
    They are going out to sea tomorrow to fish.
  • ，。
    Wǒ qù nián chū guò yí cì hǎi, gǎn jué tè bié xīng fèn.
    I went out to sea once last year, and it felt really exciting.
  • ，出海。
    Zhè piàn hǎi yù fēng làng dà, bù yí chū hǎi.
    This sea area has rough waves, so it's not suitable to go out to sea.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

出chūgo out
海hǎisea

'出' (go out) and '海' (sea) combine to mean leaving for the sea.

Characters in this word

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

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi海hǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →
Appears in
Boats & Water Travel

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