难民营 (nàn mín yíng) — refugee camp

Definition

noun
refugee camp
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 难民营。
    Zhè ge nàn mín yíng lǐ zhù zhe shàng qiān míng nàn mín.
    This refugee camp houses over a thousand refugees.
  • 难民营。
    Guó jì zǔ zhī xiàng nàn mín yíng yùn sòng le shí wù hé yào pǐn.
    International organizations delivered food and medicine to the refugee camp.
  • 难民营。
    Xǔ duō zhì yuàn zhě zài nàn mín yíng lǐ bāng zhù ér tóng xué xí.
    Many volunteers help children study in the refugee camp.

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.

难民refugee
难nándisaster民mínpeople
偏正Modifier + head
营yíngcamp

难民 (refugee) modifies 营 (camp), giving a camp for refugees.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 難; 难 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
暵
暵hàn難nán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 難 pairs 隹, a bird, with 暵 for sound, and meant a type of bird. It was later borrowed for other meanings; the modern 难 is a shorthand.

Open 难 →

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

The early form of 民 shows an eye pierced by a sharp cross-shaped implement, possibly linked to an injured or unclear eye.

Open 民 →

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 營; 营 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宮宮gōngpalace
Sound part声符shēngfú
熒
熒yíng營yíng
Same sound today

The traditional form 營 pairs 宮 (palace) with 熒 as a sound part, depicting a person working all night with a light on his house; the simplified 营 is a later abbreviation.

Open 营 →
Appears in
Society & Public Life

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