天安门 (Tiān ān mén) — Tiananmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace, a historic gate in Beijing)

Definition

Tiananmen — the Gate of Heavenly Peace in central Beijing. Best known as the iconic gate facing Tiananmen Square, a major landmark and symbol of China.

noun
Tiananmen (the Gate of Heavenly Peace, a historic gate in Beijing)

Examples

  • 天安门。
    Hěn duō yóu kè qù běi jīng dōu huì cān guān Tiān ān mén.
    Many tourists visit Tiananmen when they go to Beijing.
  • 天安门。
    Tiān ān mén Shì zhōng guó de xiàng zhēng zhī yī.
    Tiananmen is one of China's symbols.
  • 天安门，。
    Cóng Tiān ān mén qián jīng guò shí, rén men cháng cháng pāi zhào.
    When passing by Tiananmen, people often take photos.

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.

天安heavenly peace
天tiānheaven安ānpeace
偏正Modifier + head
门méngate

The 门 is named 天安, the gate of heavenly peace.

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →

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