白令海峡 (Bái lìng hǎi xiá) — Bering Strait

Definition

noun
Bering Strait

Examples

  • 白令海峡。
    Bái lìng hǎi xiá Lián jiē le yà zhōu hé běi měi zhōu.
    The Bering Strait connects Asia and North America.
  • 白令海峡。
    Hěn duō kē xué jiā yán jiū Bái lìng hǎi xiá de shēng tài huán jìng.
    Many scientists study the ecological environment of the Bering Strait.
  • ，白令海峡。
    Dōng tiān, Bái lìng hǎi xiá de bù fen hǎi miàn huì jié bīng.
    In winter, part of the Bering Strait's surface freezes.

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.

白令Bering
白báiBering令lìngBering
音译Transliteration
海峡strait
海hǎisea峡xiástrait
偏正Modifier + head

白令 spells Bering, and 海 and 峡 name the strait.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →

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

  • 亼亼jí
  • 卩卩jié

In 令, the upper 亼 is an open mouth and the lower 卩 is a kneeling person, together showing someone giving orders.

Open 令 →

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 峽; 峡 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
夾
夾jiā峽
Same sound today

The traditional form 峽 combines 山, a mountain, with 夾, used for its sound; this note describes 峽, not 峡.

Open 峡 →

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