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要冲 (yào chōng) — key location, hub (especially for communications or transport)

Definition

A formal noun for a strategic hub or chokepoint — a place that controls movement through a region (military, transport, trade). Stronger and more official than just calling somewhere 中心, focusing on a passage people or goods must pass through.

noun
key locationhub (especially for communications or transport)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 要冲，。
    Zhè zuò chéng shì shì zhòng yào de jiāo tōng yào chōng, lián jiē nán běi.
    This city is an important transportation hub connecting north and south.
  • 要冲。
    Lì shǐ shàng zhè ge dì qū yì zhí shì jūn shì yào chōng.
    Historically this area has always been a military strategic point.
  • 要冲，。
    Gǎng kǒu zuò wéi mào yì yào chōng, cù jìn le jīng jì fā zhǎn.
    The port, as a trade hub, promoted economic development.

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.

要yàokey
冲chōngthoroughfare

要 (key) and 冲 (thoroughfare) name a strategic hub.

Characters in this word

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

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

Open 要 →

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 衝; 冲 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 冲 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (冲, 冲动) it is 衝; in others (冲) it is 沖.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíng
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng衝chōng
Same sound today

The traditional form 衝 shows 重 inside 行, with 行 as the meaning part and 重 as the sound part; the simplified 冲 is a later shorthand.

Open 冲 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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