林荫道 (lín yīn dào) — tree-lined avenue; boulevard

Definition

noun
tree-lined avenueboulevard
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • ，林荫道。
    Qiū tiān de shí hou, lín yīn dào shàng luò mǎn le jīn huáng de yè zi.
    In autumn, the tree-lined avenue is covered with golden leaves.
  • 林荫道。
    Zhè tiáo lín yīn dào shì shì mín sàn bù hé qí zì xíng chē de hǎo dì fāng.
    This boulevard is a great place for citizens to take walks and ride bicycles.
  • 林荫道。
    Yán zhe lín yīn dào zǒu shí fēn zhōng jiù dào bó wù guǎn le.
    Walk along the tree-lined avenue for ten minutes and you'll reach the museum.

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.

林荫tree shade
林líntrees荫yìnshade
偏正Modifier + head
道dàoroad

林 means trees or forest, 荫 means shade, and 道 means road; a road shaded by trees.

Characters in this word

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

林 is made of two 木 (tree) placed side by side, showing many trees together, hence a forest.

Open 林 →

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 蔭; 荫 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
陰
陰yīn蔭yìn
Same sound today

The traditional form 蔭 has 艹 (grass) and 陰 (shade), with 陰 giving the sound; 荫 is a later simplified form.

Open 荫 →

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
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
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.

Open 道 →

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