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布宜诺斯艾利斯 (bù yí nuò sī ài lì sī) — Buenos Aires (capital of Argentina)

Definition

noun
Buenos Aires (capital of Argentina)

Examples

  • 布宜诺斯艾利斯。
    bù yí nuò sī ài lì sī Shì ā gēn tíng de shǒu dū.
    Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina.
  • 布宜诺斯艾利斯。
    Wǒ míng nián xiǎng qù bù yí nuò sī ài lì sī lǚ yóu.
    I want to travel to Buenos Aires next year.
  • 布宜诺斯艾利斯。
    bù yí nuò sī ài lì sī Shì yí zuò fēi cháng měi lì de chéng shì.
    Buenos Aires is a very beautiful city.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
音译yīnyìTransliteration

The characters spell the sound of a foreign word; their individual meanings play no part.

布bù
宜yí
诺nuò
斯sī
艾ài
利lì
斯sī

The characters transliterate the Spanish city name Buenos Aires; none carries its own meaning.

Sound-only characters

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
巾巾jīnkerchief
Sound part声符shēngfú
父
父fù布bù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

布 pairs 巾, a kerchief, with 父 as a sound part.

Open 布 →

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

宜 shows 且, a sacrificial altar, with 多, two pieces of meat, depicting two pieces of meat placed on the altar.

Open 宜 →

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 諾; 诺 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword, speak
Sound part声符shēngfú
若
若ruò諾nuò
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 諾 pairs 言, meaning word or speak, with 若 as a sound part, for an affirmative answer. The simplified 诺 is a later shorthand.

Open 诺 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 斯 →

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
乂
乂yì艾ài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

艾 has 艸, a grass sign, on top and 乂 below to give its sound.

Open 艾 →

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

利 combines 禾 (grain) and 刀 (knife), showing a knife used to cut grain.

Open 利 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 斯 →
Appears in
City & Urban

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