nán biān
south; south side
我在南边长大。
wǒ zài nán biān cháng dà.
I grew up in the south.
南边有座山。
nán biān yǒu zuò shān.
There is a mountain in the south.
南边很热。
nán biān hěn rè.
It is very hot in the south.
南方 (nánfāng)
south
南面 (nánmiàn)
south side
南国 (nánguó)
southern country
北边 (běibiān)
north
南 (nán)
south
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The Chinese word 南边 (nánbiān) for "south" is composed of two characters: 南 (nán) and 边 (biān). The character 南 originally meant "the sun", and was used to indicate the direction from which the sun rises. The character 边 originally meant "edge" or "border", and was used to indicate the edge of something. When these two characters are combined, they form the word 南边, which means "the edge of the sun", or "the south". This is because in ancient China, people believed that the sun rose in the east and set in the west, so the south was considered to be the edge of the sun's path.
