Meaning of 西部
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- western part
How to use 西部
西部 is used for the western region of a country, province, or city, and often comes after a place name. It also appears in fixed terms like 西部大开发 (the development of western China). Example: 他住在中国西部。(Tā zhù zài Zhōngguó xībù.) He lives in western China.
西 (xī) means west and 部 (bù) means part or section, as in 部分 (bùfen). Put them together and you get the west part of a place, the western part.
Common mistake: Learners often use 西部 for a nearby direction, like the west side of a building. For that, 西边 (xībian) is more natural. 西部 is for larger areas such as regions or countries. Also keep the tones as first plus fourth, xī bù, and do not read it like the neutral-tone 东西 (dōngxi).
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
西 xī · west · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
部 bù · ministry · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 西部.
| 东西 | dōngxi | east and west |
| 西边 | xībian | west; west side |
| 全部 | quánbù | whole; all |
| 部分 | bùfen | part; portion; piece; Taiwan pr. [bu4fen4] |
| 一部分 | yī bùfen | portion; part of |
| 大部分 | dàbùfen | the greater part; the majority; most; Taiwan pr. [da4bu4fen4] |
| 西方 | xīfāng | the West; the Occident |
| 西北 | xīběi | northwest |
| 西南 | xīnán | southwest |
| 西餐 | xīcān | Western-style food |
| 西医 | xīyī | Western medicine; a doctor trained in Western medicine |
| 部门 | bùmén | department; branch |
Questions about 西部
What does 西部 mean?
西部 (xībù) means "western part" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 西部?
西部 is made of 2 characters: 西 (6 strokes), 部 (10 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 西部 an HSK word?
Yes. 西部 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say eastern, southern, and northern part?
Use the same pattern with 部: 东部 (dōngbù) eastern part, 南部 (nánbù) southern part, and 北部 (běibù) northern part. For combined directions you can say 西南部 (xīnánbù) southwestern part.
Does 西部 mean the American West or Western movies?
It can, depending on context. 美国西部 (Měiguó xībù) is the American West, and a Western film is called 西部片 (xībùpiàn). The word 西方 (xīfāng), not 西部, is used for the West as a culture, like Western countries.