洋

yáng

氵 + 羊

Definitions

yáng (noun,adjective) ocean; vast

yáng (adjective) foreign; Western

yáng (noun) silver dollar

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 羊 represents the sound.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 羊

About

洋 is a phonosemantic compound: the water radical 氵 indicates the meaning, and 羊 (yáng, "sheep") provides the pronunciation. It originally served as the proper name of a river in what is now Shandong, rather than a general term for water. Over time, its meaning broadened to encompass the vast, boundless ocean or any expansive expanse of water. Since overseas foreigners primarily arrived in China by sea during later periods, 洋 also took on the meaning "foreign" or "Western", widely used today in words for imported goods and foreign concepts.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

海洋非常广阔。

Hǎiyáng fēicháng guǎngkuò.

The ocean is very vast.

太平洋是世界上最大的洋。

Tàipíng Yáng shì shìjiè shàng zuì dà de yáng.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world.

她穿得十分洋气。

Tā chuān de shífēn yángqì.

She dresses in a very fashionable/westernized style.

他对西洋文化很感兴趣。

Tā duì xīyáng wénhuà hěn gǎn xìngqù.

He is very interested in Western culture.

我们需要远渡重洋去学习。

Wǒmen xūyào yuǎndù chóngyáng qù xuéxí.

We need to travel across the vast oceans to study.

这家餐馆的装潢富有南洋风情。

Zhè jiā cānguǎn de zhuānghuáng fùyǒu Nányáng fēngqíng.

This restaurant's decor is rich in Southeast Asian style.

在全球化时代，洋货国货都很常见。

Zài quánqiúhuà shídài, yánghuò guóhuò dōu hěn chángjiàn.

In the era of globalization, foreign goods and domestic goods are both very common.

中国的发展宛如百川归洋，势不可挡。

Zhōngguó de fāzhǎn wǎnrú bǎichuān guī yáng, shì bù kě dǎng.

China's development is like all rivers flowing to the ocean, an unstoppable force.

Related Characters

Component: 氵

Component: 羊

洋