道路 (dào lù) — road; path; way | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A general word for 'road' or 'path', used for both physical roads and figurative 'path/course' (as in 人生的道路 'life's path'). More literary and broader than everyday 路; 马路 is specifically a city street, 公路 a highway.

noun

roadpathway

Measure word · 条

Examples

道路，。
Zhè tiáo dào lù hěn cháng, kāi chē yào yí gè xiǎo shí.
This road is very long; it takes an hour to drive.
道路。
Chéng shì lǐ yǒu hěn duō tiáo dào lù.
There are many roads in the city.
道路。
Rén shēng de dào lù yào kào zì jǐ zǒu.
The path of life must be walked by yourself.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

道 and 路 both mean a way or road, so the pair refers to a road or path.

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

行行xíngstreet

止止zhǐfoot

Sound part声符shēngfú

𩠐

首shǒu道dào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

各

各gè路lù

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Appears in

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