苔原 (tái yuán) — tundra

Definition

noun
tundra

Examples

  • 苔原。
    tái yuán Shì yì zhǒng hán lěng ér gān zào de shēng tài xì tǒng.
    Tundra is a cold and dry ecosystem.
  • 苔原。
    Běi jí tái yuán shàng shēng huó zhe xùn lù hé běi jí hú.
    Reindeer and arctic foxes live on the Arctic tundra.
  • 苔原。
    Quán qiú biàn nuǎn zhèng zài wēi xié tái yuán dì qū de shēng tài huán jìng.
    Global warming is threatening the ecological environment of tundra regions.

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.

苔táimoss or lichen
原yuánplain

苔, referring to moss or lichen, combines with 原, a plain, to name the mossy treeless plain.

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
艸艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
台
台tái苔tái
Same sound today

苔 combines 艸, the plant form, with 台, which gives it its sound.

Open 苔 →

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

原 combines 泉 (spring) and 厂 (cliff), picturing a spring bursting from a cliff-side, which gives the sense of origin or source.

Open 原 →

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