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墨尔本 (Mò ěr běn) — Melbourne, Australia

Definition

noun
MelbourneAustralia

Examples

  • 墨尔本。
    Wǒ míng nián xiǎng qù Mò ěr běn lǚ yóu.
    I want to go to Melbourne for a trip next year.
  • 墨尔本。
    Mò ěr běn Shì ào dà lì yà de dì èr dà chéng shì.
    Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia.
  • 墨尔本。
    Wǒ de biǎo jiě xiàn zài zhù zài Mò ěr běn.
    My cousin is living in Melbourne now.

Origin

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
土土tǔsoil
Sound part声符shēngfú
黑
黑hēi墨mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

墨 is built from 土 (soil) and 黑, with 黑 giving the sound.

Open 墨 →

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 爾; 尔 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 爾, simplified as 尔, originally drew cloth on a loom with crossing threads. It was borrowed for its sound to write “you,” so the picture is unrelated to that meaning.

Open 尔 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Open 本 →
Appears in
City & Urban

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