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加勒比 (Jiā lè bǐ) — Caribbean (region)

Definition

noun
Caribbean (region)

Examples

  • 加勒比。
    Wǒ míng nián xiǎng qù Jiā lè bǐ lǚ yóu.
    I want to travel to the Caribbean next year.
  • 加勒比。
    Jiā lè bǐ De hǎi shuǐ fēi cháng lán.
    The Caribbean's seawater is very blue.
  • 加勒比。
    Tā lái zì Jiā lè bǐ de yí gè xiǎo dǎo.
    He comes from a small island in the Caribbean.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
音译yīnyìTransliteration

The characters spell the sound of a foreign word; their individual meanings play no part.

加jiā
勒lè
比bǐ

The characters only stand for sounds in this foreign name for the Caribbean; none carries its usual meaning here.

Sound-only characters

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

加 pairs 力 and 口. In one explanation 力 is strength and 口 is the mouth, meaning exaggeration; in another 力 is plowing effort and 口 is breath or exclamation, meaning extra effort.

Open 加 →

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
革革gé
Sound part声符shēngfú
力
力lì勒lè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

勒 pairs 革 (leather), because bridles are made of leather, with 力, which gives the sound.

Open 勒 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 匕匕bǐ

比 is two 匕 placed side by side. Chu Wan-li treats both as sound parts, while an old reading takes the side-by-side arrangement as putting things next to each other.

Open 比 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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