安西 (An xī) — Anxi (a county in Gansu Province, China)

Definition

noun
Anxi (a county in Gansu Province, China)

Examples

  • 安西。
    Tā lǎo jiā zài An xī.
    His hometown is in Anxi.
  • 安西。
    An xī Wèi yú gān sù shěng xī bù.
    Anxi is located in western Gansu Province.
  • 安西？
    Nǐ qù guò An xī ma?
    Have you ever been to Anxi?

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.

安ānpeace
西xīwest

安 conveys peace and 西 conveys west, so the place name suggests a peaceful west.

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
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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 西 →

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