江原道 (Jiāng yuán dào) — (historical) Gangwon Province during the Joseon Dynasty; (current, North Korea) Kangwon Province; (current, South Korea) Gangwon Province (capital Chuncheon)

Definition

A Korean provincial name referring both to the Joseon-era Gangwon Province and to the modern province split between North Korea (Kangwon) and South Korea (Gangwon, capital 春川) by the military demarcation line.

noun
(historical) Gangwon Province during the Joseon Dynasty(current, North Korea) Kangwon Province(current, South Korea) Gangwon Province (capital Chuncheon)

Examples

  • 江原道。
    Zhè cì lǚ xíng wǒ men qù le hán guó běi bù de Jiāng yuán dào.
    This trip we went to the northern part of Gangwon Province in South Korea.
  • 江原道。
    Jiāng yuán dào Zài cháo xiǎn wáng cháo shí qī shì zhòng yào de xíng zhèng qū yù.
    Gangwon Province was an important administrative region during the Joseon Dynasty.
  • 江原道。
    Cháo xiǎn bàn dǎo de Jiāng yuán dào bèi jūn shì fēn jiè xiàn fēn wéi liǎng bàn.
    Gangwon Province on the Korean Peninsula is divided into two halves by the military demarcation line.

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.

江原river and plain
江jiāngriver原yuánplain
联合Side by side
道dàoprovince

江原 evokes river and plain, while 道 names the province.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng江jiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

江 puts 氵, the water side, beside 工, which gives a sound; the water part points to its river meaning.

Open 江 →

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

原 combines 泉 (spring) and 厂 (cliff), picturing a spring bursting from a cliff-side, which gives the sense of origin or source.

Open 原 →

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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