Chinese word

沿海

Pronunciation

Pinyinyán hǎi

Meaning

  • adjectivecoastal

Example

沿海城市夏天很热。yán hǎi chéng shì xià tiān hěn rè

Coastal cities are very hot in summer.

Illustration for 沿海 (coastal)

More examples

沿海地区经常发生台风。yán hǎi dì qū jīng cháng fā shēng tái fēng

Typhoons often occur in coastal areas.

Core concept

Something located where land meets the sea, especially across a wider coastal zone.

Common phrases

  • 沿海地区yán hǎi dì qū

    coastal area

  • 沿海城市yán hǎi chéng shì

    coastal city

  • 沿海地带yán hǎi dì dài

    coastal zone

Similar words

滨海bīn hǎi: Describes a place or feature that borders the sea.
沿岸yán àn: Describes something situated beside and following the line of a shore.
近海jìn hǎi: Describes a sea region near the land or something belonging to that region.

Definition in Chinese

靠近海岸或沿着海岸线分布的kào jìn hǎi àn huò yán zhe hǎi àn xiàn fēn bù de

Word origin

沿 (yán, "along") means following the line of something, while 海 (hǎi, "sea") identifies the boundary being followed, giving the compound its geographic sense.

Usage tips

  • Geography and news reports use it for ports, industries, and settlements, while casual travel talk more often identifies a particular beach or shore.

Other meanings

  • seasideadjective

Opposites

  • 内陆nèi lùinlandadjective

Related words

  • 沿海地区yán hǎi dì qūcoastal areanoun
  • 沿海地带yán hǎi dì dàicoastal zonenoun

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