金环 (jīn huán) — Golden Ring (tourist route in Russia)

Definition

A proper noun for Russia's "Golden Ring" (Золотое кольцо), a famous tourist loop of historic cities northeast of Moscow. Treat it like a place name — it has no general meaning beyond the route itself.

noun
Golden Ring (tourist route in Russia)

Examples

  • 金环。
    Qù nián wǒ qù le é luó sī de jīn huán lǚ yóu.
    Last year I traveled to Russia's Golden Ring.
  • 金环。
    jīn huán Shàng de gǔ chéng dōu hěn měi.
    The ancient cities on the Golden Ring are all very beautiful.
  • 金环。
    Hěn duō yóu kè xǐ huan zǒu jīn huán zhè tiáo lù xiàn.
    Many tourists like to take the Golden Ring route.

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.

金jīngold
环huánring

金 and 环 suggest a golden ring, naming the route.

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.

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →

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 環; 环 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
玉玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
睘
睘qióng環huán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 環 pairs 玉 (jade) with a sound part; the simplified 环 is a shorthand and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 环 →

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