Meaning of 南北
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- north and south
- north to south
How to use 南北
南北 is used for north and south together, or for a north to south span, as in 南北方向 (nánběi fāngxiàng, north-south direction) or 南北差异 (nánběi chāyì, north-south differences). Example: 中国南北的饮食很不一样。(Zhōngguó nánběi de yǐnshí hěn bù yíyàng.) Food in northern and southern China is very different.
南北 (nánběi) simply puts 南 (nán, south) and 北 (běi, north) side by side, so the word covers everything from one end to the other. Think of 北 as two people sitting back to back, turning away from the south.
Common mistake: English speakers often say "north and south" and try 北南 (běinán), but Chinese always puts south first: 南北, never 北南. Also keep the tones clear: nán is second tone and běi is third tone.
南北 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
南 nán · south · 9 strokes
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- 9
北 běi · north · 5 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 南北.
| 北京 | Běijīng | Beijing municipality, capital of the People's Republic of China (short name 京[Jing1]) |
| 北边 | běibian | north; north side |
| 南边 | nánbian | south; south side |
| 南方 | nánfāng | south; southern direction; (in China) southern regions, often referring to areas south of |
| 北方 | běifāng | north; the northern part a country |
| 西北 | xīběi | northwest |
| 东北 | dōngběi | northeast |
| 西南 | xīnán | southwest |
| 东南 | dōngnán | southeast |
| 南部 | nánbù | southern part |
| 北部 | běibù | northern part |
| 北极 | běijí | the North Pole; the north magnetic pole |
Questions about 南北
What does 南北 mean?
南北 (nánběi) means "north and south; north to south" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 南北?
南北 is made of 2 characters: 南 (9 strokes), 北 (5 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 南北 an HSK word?
Yes. 南北 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does Chinese say 东西南北 instead of north, south, east, west?
Chinese has its own fixed order for directions, and 东西南北 (dōng xī nán běi) is the standard list. Inside that list, south still comes before north, just like in 南北.
Can 南北 be used without meaning geography?
Yes. In set phrases it can mean all over or far and wide, as in 走南闯北 (zǒu nán chuǎng běi), to travel widely. It also appears in history terms like 南北朝 (Nánběicháo), the Northern and Southern Dynasties.