弯道 (wān dào) — curve, bend; winding road

Definition

noun

curvebendwinding road

Measure word · 个

弯道。
Kāi chē jīng guò wān dào shí yào jiǎn sù.
Slow down when driving through a curve.
弯道，。
Zhè ge wān dào hěn jí, jīng cháng fā shēng shì gù.
This bend is very sharp, accidents often happen here.
弯道，。
Gāo sù gōng lù shàng yǒu hěn duō wān dào, yào xiǎo xīn jià shǐ.
There are many curves on the highway, drive carefully.

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.

弯 describes something bent, and 道 is a road; together they mean a bend in the road.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 彎; 弯 is its simplified writing.

弓䜌彎

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

䜌

䜌䜌彎wān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 彎 pairs 弓 (bow) with 䜌 as a sound part; the simplified 弯 is a later shorthand.

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

行行xíngstreet

Sound part声符shēngfú

𩠐

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Appears in