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海岸线 (hǎi àn xiàn) — coastline

Definition

noun
coastline
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 海岸线。
    Zhōng guó de hǎi àn xiàn hěn cháng.
    China's coastline is very long.
  • 海岸线。
    Yán zhe hǎi àn xiàn sàn bù hěn shū fu.
    Walking along the coastline is very comfortable.
  • 海岸线，。
    Zhè tiáo hǎi àn xiàn hěn měi, xī yǐn le hěn duō rén.
    This coastline is very beautiful, attracting many people.

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.

海岸coast
海hǎisea岸ànshore
偏正Modifier + head
线xiànline

海 means sea, 岸 means shore, and 线 means line, giving the line along the sea shore.

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

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →

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
屵屵àncliff
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān岸àn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

岸 shows 屵, a cliff, next to 干, which gives a clue to the sound; together they point to the edge of land.

Open 岸 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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