台湾 (Tái wān) — Taiwan | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Taiwan

台湾，。
Wǒ cóng lái méi yǒu qù guò Tái wān, dàn hěn xiǎng qù kàn kàn.
I have never been to Taiwan, but I really want to go and see it.
台湾，。
Tái wān De yè shì hěn yǒu míng, xī yǐn le hěn duō yóu kè.
Taiwan's night markets are very famous, attracting many tourists.
台湾，。
Tā lái zì Tái wān, xiàn zài zài běi jīng gōng zuò.
He comes from Taiwan and now works in Beijing.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臺; 台 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 台 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (窗台, 电视台) it is 臺; in others (台灯, 台球) (台风) it is 檯 or 台 or 颱.

The traditional form 臺 is the 喬 + 室 form; earlier versions combined a sound part with 室, and an old reading saw it as a watch tower.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 灣; 湾 is its simplified writing.

氵彎灣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

彎

彎wān灣wān

Same sound today

The traditional form 灣 pairs 氵 (water) with 彎, which gives the sound; the simplified 湾 is a shorthand.

Appears in