Chinese word

沿岸

Pronunciation

Pinyinyán àn

Meaning

  • nouncoast

Example

他们在沿岸生活。tā men zài yán àn shēng huó

They live along the coast.

Illustration for 沿岸 (coast)

More examples

政府正在保护沿岸地区的生态环境。zhèng fǔ zhèng zài bǎo hù yán àn dì qū de shēng tài huán jìng

The government is protecting the ecological environment of the coastal area.

Core concept

The land-side margin that keeps pace with a body of water.

Common phrases

  • 沿岸地区yán àn dì qū

    coastal area

  • 沿岸城市yán àn chéng shì

    coastal city

  • 沿岸渔业yán àn yú yè

    coastal fishery

Similar words

海岸hǎi àn: Land or beach where the sea meets the land.
岸àn: The land at the edge of a river or sea.

Definition in Chinese

靠近江、河、海等水体边缘的一带土地或地区，强调与水域相邻的位置关系。kào jìn jiāng hé hǎi děng shuí tǐ biān yuán de yí dài tǔ dì huò dì qū qiáng diào yǔ shuǐ yù xiāng lín de wèi zhì guān xì

Word origin

沿岸 (yánàn, "coast") is formed from 沿 (yán, "along") + 岸 (àn, "bank"), so its parts picture land extending in the same direction as the water's boundary.

Usage tips

  • English shoreline points mainly to the boundary line, whereas this word usually covers the strip of land beside that line, a useful distinction in maps and place descriptions.

Other meanings

  • coastaladjective

Opposites

  • 内陆nèi lùinlandnoun

Related words

  • 沿岸带yán àn dàicoastal zonenoun

Word lists with this word