北

• 拼音: běi
• 汉字拆解: 北 = pictograph of two people sitting back to back — 'the direction behind you'

含义

North. One of the four cardinal directions.

Used to indicate the northern direction or the northern part of a place. Often combined with other characters: 北边 (north side), 北方 (the North, northern region), 北京 (Beijing, literally 'northern capital'). In Chinese geography, 'the North' generally refers to areas north of the Yangtze River.

例句

1. 学校在我家北边。
2. 风从北边吹来。
3. 往北走就到了。

用法指南

语境: direction, geography

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 公园在北边。(The park is to the north.)
• 你往北走。(Go north.)

错误说法

• 去北 without a destination or direction word (Don't say 去北 alone — say 往北走 or 去北边)

起源与历史

A pictograph showing two people sitting back to back. The original meaning was 'back' (as in turning one's back). Since people in the Northern Hemisphere face south toward the sun, the direction behind them became 'north'.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal