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那边 (nà biān) — over there

Definition

那边 (nà bian) means 'over there' and emphasizes direction or a place farther from the speaker. Unlike 那里/那儿 which simply mean 'there', 那边 highlights a side or direction; 这边 is its 'this side / over here' opposite.

pronoun
over there

Examples

  • 那边。
    Wǒ zài nà biān kàn shū.
    I am reading a book over there.
  • 那边。
    nà biān Yǒu yí gè rén.
    There is a person over there.
  • 那边。
    Tā yào qù nà biān.
    He wants to go over there.

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.

那nàthat
边biānside

The 那 'that' and the side sense of 边 'side' point to 'over there'.

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
邑邑yìcity
Sound part声符shēngfú
冄
冉rǎn那nà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The right part 邑 shows a city, and the left part 冄 (written 冉) gives the sound. The character first named a state and was later used to mean 'that'.

Open 那 →

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 邊; 边 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalking; movement
Sound part声符shēngfú
臱
臱mián邊biān(r)
Same sound today

The traditional form 邊 pairs 辶 (walking; movement) with the sound part 臱; the simplified 边 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 边 →
Appears in
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