新英格兰 (Xīn Yīng gé lán) — New England

Definition

noun

New England

Examples

新英格兰。
Wǒ qù nián qù le Xīn Yīng gé lán lǚ xíng.
I traveled to New England last year.
新英格兰。
Xīn Yīng gé lán De qiū tiān fēi cháng měi lì.
New England's autumn is very beautiful.
新英格兰。
Xīn Yīng gé lán Shì měi guó lì shǐ zuì yōu jiǔ de dì qū zhī yī.
New England is one of the most historically significant regions in the United States.

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.

新xīnnew

英格兰England

英yīng格gé兰lán

“新” means new and “英格兰” names England, so the whole is New England.

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.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

斤斤jīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

辛

辛xīn新xīn

Same sound today

The shape originally paired 斤, for chopping wood, with 辛 for sound. It was borrowed for its sound to write 新, so the chopping-wood parts are unrelated to 'new'.

Open 新 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

艹央英

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

央

央yāng英yīng

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

英 pairs 艹 (grass) with 央, which gives the sound.

Open 英 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.