蒙大拿州 (Méng dà ná zhōu) — Montana (US state)

Definition

noun

Montana (US state)

蒙大拿州。
Tā míng nián yào qù Méng dà ná zhōu lǚ xíng.
He plans to travel to Montana next year.
蒙大拿州。
Méng dà ná zhōu Zài měi guó de xī běi bù.
Montana is in the northwestern part of the United States.
蒙大拿州？
Nǐ liǎo jiě Méng dà ná zhōu de lì shǐ ma?
Do you know about the history of Montana?

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.

蒙大拿

蒙大拿 spells Montana, and 州 means state, so the name refers to Montana as a state.

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.

艹冡蒙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss

Sound part声符shēngfú

冡

冡měng蒙méng

Same sound today

蒙 combines 艹 (grass) with 冡, which supplies the sound.

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

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

合手拿

The shape 拿 pairs 合 with 手, and it is a later alternative form for taking with the hand.

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

州 originally drew an islet in a river.