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唐人街 (táng rén jiē) — Chinatown

Definition

Literally 'Tang Dynasty people's street' — a historical name for a Chinese neighborhood abroad. 文化上是海外华人聚居的街区，特色是中餐馆、牌楼和春节活动。

noun
Chinatown
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 唐人街，。
    Jiù jīn shān de táng rén jiē fēi cháng rè nao, měi nián chūn jié dōu yǒu yóu xíng.
    San Francisco's Chinatown is very lively, with a parade every Spring Festival.
  • 唐人街。
    Hěn duō yóu kè xǐ huan qù táng rén jiē pǐn cháng dì dào de zhōng cān.
    Many tourists like to go to Chinatown to taste authentic Chinese food.
  • 唐人街，。
    Tā zài táng rén jiē kāi le yì jiā xiǎo shū diàn, zhuān mén mài zhōng wén shū.
    He opened a small bookstore in Chinatown that specializes in Chinese books.

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.

唐人Chinese people
唐tángTang人rénpeople
偏正Modifier + head
街jiēstreet

“唐人” refers to Chinese people and “街” means street, together naming a street of Chinese people.

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
庚
庚gēng唐táng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

唐 pairs 庚, a picture of a hollow instrument, with 口 as a distinguishing mark; the shape is based on hollowness or openness.

Open 唐 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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
行行xíng
Sound part声符shēngfú
圭
圭guī街jiē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

街 combines 行 and 圭: 行 is the meaning part, and 圭 is the sound part. Originally, 圭 drew a pair of ritual axes, not earth.

Open 街 →
Appears in
China — PlacesCity & Urban

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