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德州 (Dé zhōu) — (proper noun) Dezhou, a prefecture-level city in Shandong, China; (proper noun) Texas, U.S. state (abbreviation)

Definition

Used for two different places depending on context: in Chinese geography it refers to Dezhou, a city in Shandong; in Chinese discussions of the U.S. it's the common short form of Texas.

noun
(proper noun) Dezhou, a prefecture-level city in Shandong, China(proper noun) TexasU.S. state (abbreviation)

Examples

  • 德州。
    Dé zhōu Shì shān dōng shěng de yí gè chéng shì.
    Dezhou is a city in Shandong province.
  • 德州，。
    Dé zhōu Zài měi guó nán bù, yǐ niú zǎi wén huà wén míng.
    Texas is in the southern U.S. and is famous for cowboy culture.
  • 德州。
    Tā cóng Dé zhōu bān dào běi jīng gōng zuò le.
    He moved from Dezhou to Beijing for work.

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
彳彳chìroad
Sound part声符shēngfú
惪
惪dé德dé
Same sound today

德 combines 彳, a road, with 惪, a component meaning virtue that also supplies the sound.

Open 德 →

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

州 originally drew an islet in a river.

Open 州 →
Appears in
China — Places5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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