都安 (dōu ān) — Du'an (Du'an Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi)

Definition

noun
Du'an (Du'an Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi)

Examples

  • 都安。
    Tā cóng dōu ān zuò chē qù nán níng.
    He took a bus from Du'an to Nanning.
  • 都安。
    Wǒ cóng lái méi qù guò dōu ān.
    I have never been to Du'an.
  • 都安。
    dōu ān Shì yí gè měi lì de xiàn chéng.
    Du'an is a beautiful county town.

Origin

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yìtown, city
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě都dōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

都 is built from 者, which supplies the sound, and 邑, meaning town or city.

Open 都 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

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