环行 (huán háng) — to circle, to go around (in a circuit)

Definition

环行 means 'to circle / go around' a route, as of a bus, train, or road that loops around an area. Unlike 绕 (rào), which describes going around an obstacle or detoured path, 环行 emphasizes traveling in a full circuit.

verb
to circleto go around (in a circuit)

Examples

  • 环行。
    Zhè tàng gōng jiāo huán háng chéng qū yì zhōu.
    This bus circles the urban area once.
  • 环行。
    Dì tiě wǔ hào xiàn huán háng zhěng gè chéng shì.
    Subway Line 5 circles the entire city.
  • 环行。
    Tā men dǎ suàn huán háng hú yì quān.
    They intend to circle the lake once.

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.

环huáncircle
行xínggo

环 gives the circular path and 行 the movement, together meaning to travel around in a circuit.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 環; 环 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
睘
睘qióng環huán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 環 pairs 玉 (jade) with a sound part; the simplified 环 is a shorthand and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 环 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

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