Definitions
Etymology
Depicts a bell-shaped musical instrument. The current meaning of 南 is a phonetic loan.
About
The modern character 南 is composed of the components 十 (ten), 冂 (an enclosure), and an inner element that looks like a simplified sheep, but this surface analysis does not reflect its etymology. In its earliest form, the character was a pictograph of a bell-shaped musical instrument, a type of hanging percussion instrument used in regional music. Later, the character was borrowed for its phonetic value to represent the word for the cardinal direction south. Due to this phonetic borrowing, the original meaning was entirely lost, and the character became fixed as the standard character for "south". It now denotes southern regions, the southern compass point, and anything associated with the south.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
南方很暖和。
我家住在城南。
他一直往南走。
南方的水果很甜。
南京是座古老的城市。
这个房间窗户朝南。
海南岛的风景特别美。
南美洲有很多热带雨林。
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