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远门 (yuǎn mén) — a faraway place (used in the fixed phrase 出远门, meaning 'to go on a long journey far from home')

Definition

Rarely used alone — almost always appears in the phrase 出远门 ('to go on a long journey far from home'). 远 by itself means 'far'; 远门 only adds the sense of a distant place.

noun
a faraway place (used in the fixed phrase 出远门, meaning 'to go on a long journey far from home')

Examples

  • 远门，。
    Tā jīn nián dì yī cì chū yuǎn mén, xīn lǐ hěn jī dòng.
    He's going on a long journey for the first time this year, and he's very excited.
  • 远门？
    Nǐ chū guò jǐ cì yuǎn mén?
    How many long trips have you taken?
  • 远门。
    Chū yuǎn mén zhī qián jì de dài hǎo zhèng jiàn hé yào pǐn.
    Remember to bring your ID and medicine before going on a long trip.

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.

远yuǎnfar
门méndoor

A far (远) door (门) suggests a long journey away from home.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán远yuǎn
Same sound today

远 combines 辶, meaning walk, with 元, used for its sound.

Open 远 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →
Appears in
Travel & Tourism

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