金马 (jīn mǎ) — Kinmen and Matsu (two Taiwanese offshore island groups)

Definition

Short name for the Kinmen and Matsu island groups off the coast of Fujian, administered by Taiwan. Used as a paired term (金门 + 马祖) in news, military, and tourism contexts.

noun
Kinmen and Matsu (two Taiwanese offshore island groups)

Examples

  • 金马。
    Tā céng jīng zài jīn mǎ dì qū fú yì.
    He once served in the Kinmen-Matsu area.
  • 金马。
    jīn mǎ De lǚ yóu yè zuì jìn fā zhǎn dé hěn kuài.
    The tourism industry in Kinmen and Matsu has been developing rapidly recently.
  • 金马。
    Cóng tái wān dào jīn mǎ kě yǐ zuò fēi jī.
    You can fly from Taiwan to Kinmen and Matsu.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

金jīnKinmen
马mǎMatsu

金 and 马 each name one island group, so the pair refers to Kinmen and Matsu.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.

Open 马 →

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