英里 (yīng lǐ) — (classifier) mile (unit of length) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

classifier

mile (unit of length)

Examples

英里。
Cóng zhè r dào chē zhàn dà yuē yǒu liǎng yīng lǐ.
It's about two miles from here to the station.
英里。
Tā měi tiān pǎo bù wǔ yīng lǐ.
He runs five miles every day.
英里。
Zhè liàng chē měi jiā lún yóu néng pǎo sān shí yīng lǐ.
This car can run thirty miles per gallon.

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.

英yīngEnglish

英 as English and 里 as a distance unit combine to name the mile.

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.

艹央英

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

央

央yāng英yīng

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

英 pairs 艹 (grass) with 央, which gives the sound.

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 裡; 里 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 里 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (里, 里面) it is 裡; in others (公里) it is 里 or 裏.

衤里裡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

衤Written in full as衣yīclothes

Sound part声符shēngfú

里

里lǐ裡lǐ

Same sound today

The form 裡 pairs 衤 (clothes) with 里 as a sound component.

Appears in

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