TongTong
Sign in

本地 (běn dì) — local (place), this locality

Definition

本地 means 'of this very place' — paired with 当地 for 'local' (the specific place you're in), vs 本土 meaning 'domestic/native' (one's home country).

noun
local (place)this locality

Examples

  • 本地，。
    Wǒ zhù zài běn dì, suǒ yǐ duì zhè lǐ hěn shú xi.
    I live locally, so I'm very familiar with this place.
  • 本地。
    běn dì De tiān qì bǐ nán fāng gān zào.
    The local weather is drier than the south.
  • 本地。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī shì běn dì qǐ yè.
    This company is a local enterprise.

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.

本běnthis
地dìplace

本 (this) and 地 (place) mean this place or the local area.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Open 本 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5City & Urban5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.