西线 (xī xiàn) — western front (military); western line of transportation (e.g., railway, bus route)

Definition

noun
western front (military)western line of transportation (e.g., railway, bus route)

Examples

  • ,西线。
    Èr zhàn qī jiān, xī xiàn shì zhòng yào de zhàn chǎng.
    During World War II, the western front was an important battlefield.
  • 西线。
    Zhè tiáo tiě lù de xī xiàn jiāng zài míng nián kāi tōng.
    The western line of this railway will open next year.
  • 西线。
    Wǒ jūn zài xī xiàn qǔ dé le shèng lì.
    Our army achieved a victory on the western front.

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.

西 'west' and 线 'line' combine to mean a line or front in the west.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 西 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →

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