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法国 (Fǎ guó) — France

Definition

noun
France

Examples

  • 法国。
    Wǒ míng nián xiǎng qù Fǎ guó lǚ xíng.
    I want to travel to France next year.
  • 法国。
    Fǎ guó De hóng jiǔ hé nǎi lào hěn yǒu míng.
    France's red wine and cheese are very famous.
  • 法国——。
    Tā zhèng zài xué xí Fǎ guó de guān fāng yǔ yán —— fǎ yǔ.
    She is learning France's official language — French.

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.

法fǎFrance
国guócountry

The name 法 for France joins with 国 to mean the country France.

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
廌廌zhìa type of antelope or caprid
Sound part声符shēngfú
盍
盍hé法fǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

法's older form combined 氵 (water) and 廌 (a type of antelope or caprid), with 盍 as a sound part; later 廌 was dropped.

Open 法 →

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 國; 国 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéiclosure
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò國guó
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 國 uses 囗 to show closure and 或 to give the sound.

Open 国 →
Appears in
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