国道 (guó dào) — national highway (second-class road in China)

Definition

A 国道 is a national highway — a second-class road slower than a 高速 (expressway) and usually toll-free. 高速 is faster and grade-separated; 省道 is a lower-level provincial road.

noun
national highway (second-class road in China)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 国道。
    Zhè tiáo guó dào lián jiē le liǎng gè shěng huì chéng shì.
    This national highway connects two provincial capitals.
  • 国道，。
    Kāi chē zǒu guó dào bǐ zǒu gāo sù màn yì xiē, dàn bù shōu guò lù fèi.
    Driving on a national highway is slower than on an expressway, but there's no toll.
  • 国道。
    Zhèng fǔ jì huà míng nián xiū jiàn yì tiáo xīn de guó dào.
    The government plans to build a new national highway next year.

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.

国guócountry
道dàoroad

国 specifies national scope, and 道 means road, giving a national highway.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 國; 国 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéiclosure
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò國guó
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 國 uses 囗 to show closure and 或 to give the sound.

Open 国 →

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xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

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