TongTong
Sign in

自然界 (zì rán jiè) — nature; the natural world

Definition

自然界 (zìránjiè) is 'the natural world' as a whole system — landscape, animals, climate — more formal and complete than 自然 or 大自然, which also mean 'nature' in everyday use.

noun
naturethe natural world

Examples

  • 自然界。
    Rén lèi yīng gāi zūn zhòng zì rán jiè de guī lǜ.
    Humans should respect the laws of nature.
  • 自然界。
    Tā xǐ huan zài zì rán jiè zhōng guān chá niǎo lèi de xíng wéi.
    He likes to observe bird behavior in nature.
  • 自然界。
    Zhè bù jì lù piàn zhǎn xiàn le zì rán jiè de shén qí yǔ měi lì.
    This documentary shows the wonder and beauty of nature.

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.

自然natural
自zìself然ránso
主谓Subject + predicate
界jièrealm; world

自然 means nature or natural, and 界 means realm; together they name the natural world.

Characters in this word

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
肰
肰rán然rán
Same sound today

然 is made from 肰, which gives the sound, and 火, which shows fire, matching the old sense 'to burn'.

Open 然 →

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
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
介
介jiè界jiè
Same sound today

界 is built from 田 (field) and 介. 田 carries the meaning, while 介 gives the sound.

Open 界 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Environment & EcologyScience (General)

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.