陕

陝

shǎn

夹 + 阝

Definitions

Shǎn (noun) abbr. for Shaanxi province

Etymology

A place 阝 wedged in a valley 夹

About

The character 陕, traditional form 陝, is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic radical 阝, derived from 阜 (fù) and meaning 'mound' or 'city', signals a geographical setting. On the right, 夹 (jiā, in traditional script 夾) functions as the phonetic. Historically, the character denoted a narrow mountain pass, specifically the ancient Shaan Pass located in the Yellow River valley. After its phonetic component was simplified from 夾 to 夹, the character lost its original topographical meaning and now serves almost exclusively as the abbreviation for Shaanxi province, a shift from a common noun to a proper regional name.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

陕西有很多历史古迹。

Shǎnxī yǒu hěnduō lìshǐ gǔjì.

Shaanxi has many historical sites.

我去过陕西西安。

Wǒ qùguò Shǎnxī Xī'ān.

I have been to Xi'an, Shaanxi.

陕北的民歌很好听。

Shǎnběi de míngē hěn hǎotīng.

The folk songs from northern Shaanxi are very pleasant to listen to.

陕甘宁边区是革命老区。

Shǎn Gān Níng biānqū shì gémìng lǎoqū.

The Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region is an old revolutionary area.

陕西省的省会是西安。

Shǎnxī Shěng de shěnghuì shì Xī'ān.

The capital of Shaanxi Province is Xi'an.

陕西方言与普通话有些不同。

Shǎnxī fāngyán yǔ pǔtōnghuà yǒuxiē bùtóng.

The Shaanxi dialect is somewhat different from Mandarin.

陕南地区的气候比较湿润。

Shǎnnán dìqū de qìhòu bǐjiào shīrùn.

The climate in southern Shaanxi is relatively humid.

陕甘青地区的地形复杂多样。

Shǎn Gān Qīng dìqū de dìxíng fùzá duōyàng.

The terrain of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Qinghai region is complex and diverse.

Related Characters

Component: 夹

Component: 阝

陕