塞纳河畔 (sài nà hé pàn) — Seine riverbank (in Paris, France)

Definition

A proper noun referring to the banks of the Seine River in Paris, often associated with romance, art, and iconic Parisian scenery.

noun
Seine riverbank (in Paris, France)

Examples

  • ，塞纳河畔，。
    Bàng wǎn, wǒ men yán zhe sài nà hé pàn sàn bù, xī yáng hěn měi.
    In the evening, we strolled along the Seine riverbank; the sunset was beautiful.
  • 塞纳河畔。
    Bā lí de sài nà hé pàn shì xǔ duō yì shù jiā xún zhǎo líng gǎn de dì fāng.
    The Seine riverbank in Paris is a place where many artists seek inspiration.
  • 塞纳河畔。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ miáo shù le zhǔ rén gōng zài sài nà hé pàn yǔ liàn rén xiāng yù de chǎng jǐng.
    The novel describes the scene where the protagonist meets his lover on the Seine riverbank.

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.

塞纳
塞sāi纳nà
河畔riverside
河hériver畔pànbank
偏正Modifier + head

塞纳 names the Seine, and 河畔 gives a riverbank, so the whole means Seine riverbank.

Characters in this word

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

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 工工gōngtwo items
  • 廾廾gǒngtwo hands

塞 combines 宀 (house), 工 (two items), and 廾 (two hands), showing hands stuffing items into a house.

Open 塞 →

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 納; 纳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk, thin thread
Sound part声符shēngfú
内
内nèi納nà
Same sound today

The traditional form 納 has 糸 (silk, thin thread) and 内, which gives the sound; the simplified 纳 is a shorthand.

Open 纳 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
何
何hé河hé
Same sound today

河 pairs 水 (water) with 何, which gives the sound. The 水 part marks it as a word for a river.

Open 河 →

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
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
半
半bàn畔pàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left 田 shows a field, and the right 半 gives the sound.

Open 畔 →

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