底
特
律

About

The Chinese word 底特律 (Dǐtèlǜ) is formed exclusively through the process of phonetic transliteration to represent the sound of the English place name "Detroit". Each character is chosen not for its meaning, but for how closely its pronunciation in Mandarin approximates the original English syllables: "De-" becomes 底 (dǐ), "-troit" becomes 特律 (tèlǜ). The resulting compound is a dedicated phonetic loanword, a common method for incorporating foreign proper nouns into Chinese.

Example Sentences Hide

底特律是美国著名的汽车城。

Dǐtèlǜ shì Měiguó zhùmíng de qìchē chéng.

Detroit is a famous American automobile city.

底特律的汽车工业非常发达。

Dǐtèlǜ de qìchē gōngyè fēichāng fādá.

Detroit's automobile industry is very developed.

这座城市曾是美国的经济支柱之一。

Zhè zuò chéngshì céng shì Měiguó de jīngjì zhīzhù zhī yī.

This city was once one of the pillars of the American economy.

底特律位于密歇根州和五大湖区。

Dǐtèlǜ wèiyú Mìxiēgēn zhōu hé Wǔ Dà Hú qū.

Detroit is located in Michigan and the Great Lakes region.

近年来，底特律经历了艰难的经济转型和文化复兴。

Jìnnián lái, Dǐtèlǜ jīnglìle jiānnán de jīngjì zhuǎnxíng hé wénhuà fùxīng.

In recent years, Detroit has undergone a difficult economic transformation and cultural revival.

Word Definition - 底特律

dǐ tè lǜ Detroit, Michigan

Individual Character Details

底 de, dǐ
特 tè
律 lǜ, lǜ