金边 (Jīn biān) — Phnom Penh (capital of Cambodia)

Definition

noun
Phnom Penh (capital of Cambodia)

Examples

  • 金边。
    Qù nián wǒ qù le yí tàng Jīn biān.
    I went to Phnom Penh last year.
  • 金边。
    Jīn biān Shì jiǎn pǔ zhài de shǒu dū.
    Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia.
  • 金边。
    Tā lái zì Jīn biān.
    He is from Phnom Penh.

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.

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 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 →

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