圣地 (shèng dì) — sacred place (religious or historical); shrine;…

Definition

Literally 'holy/sacred ground.' Refers to a place held in deep religious or historical reverence (e.g. Jerusalem, Yan'an as a revolutionary site).

noun

sacred place (religious or historical)shrinea place of great reverence or significance

Measure word · 个

圣地。
Bù dá lā gōng shì zàng chuán fó jiào de shèng dì.
The Potala Palace is a sacred site for Tibetan Buddhism.
圣地，。
Yán ān shì zhōng guó gé mìng de shèng dì, měi nián dōu yǒu hěn duō rén qù cān guān.
Yan'an is a sacred place of the Chinese revolution, and many people visit it every year.
，圣地。
Duì jī dū tú lái shuō, yē lù sā lěng jiù shì shèng dì.
For Christians, Jerusalem is the Holy Land.

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.

圣 gives holy, and 地 gives a place.

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 聖; 圣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

呈

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 聖 puts 耳 (ear) beside 呈, which gives the sound; the simplified 圣 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

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

土也地

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

也

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Appears in