荒岛 (huāng dǎo) — deserted island; uninhabited island

Definition

noun

deserted islanduninhabited island

Measure word · 个

荒岛。
Tā zài yí gè huāng dǎo shàng shēng huó le shí nián.
He lived on a deserted island for ten years.
荒岛。
Nà sōu chuán piāo liú dào le yí gè huāng dǎo.
That ship drifted to an uninhabited island.
荒岛。
Zhè ge huāng dǎo shàng méi yǒu rèn hé rén jū zhù.
No one lives on this deserted island.

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.

荒 means desolate, and 岛 means island, so it is a desolate island.

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.

艹巟荒

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss, plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

巟

巟huāng荒huāng

Same sound today

荒 is built from 艹 (grass, plant) and 巟, with 巟 giving the sound huāng.

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 島; 岛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

山山shānmountain

Sound part声符shēngfú

鳥

鳥niǎo島dǎo

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

The traditional form 島 uses 山, meaning mountain, and 鳥 for the sound. The simplified 岛 is a later shorthand.

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