蓝山 (Lán shān) — Blue Mountain (place name, e.g., coffee origin or Lanshan County)

Definition

A place-name word: 蓝山 refers to Blue Mountain(s), best known to learners as the famous Jamaican coffee region. It can also name 蓝山县 (Lanshan County) in Hunan, China.

noun
Blue Mountain (place name, e.g., coffee origin or Lanshan County)

Examples

  • 蓝山。
    Zhè zhǒng kā fēi chǎn zì Lán shān.
    This type of coffee comes from Blue Mountain.
  • 蓝山。
    Lán shān Xiàn wèi yú hú nán shěng nán bù.
    Lanshan County is located in southern Hunan Province.
  • 蓝山。
    Tā qù nián qù Lán shān lǚ yóu le.
    He traveled to Blue Mountain last year.

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.

蓝lánblue
山shānmountain

“蓝” gives the color and “山” names the landform, forming “blue mountain.”

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 藍; 蓝 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
監
監jiān藍lán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 蓝, the traditional form 藍 has 艸, grass, above 監, which gives the sound.

Open 蓝 →

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

山 shows three mountain peaks side by side.

Open 山 →

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