海峡 hǎixiá strait
strait; channel
How to remember 海峡: 海 sea + 峡 gorge = strait.
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How it is used
- Means a strait/channel between two land masses - 台湾海峡 (Táiwān Hǎixiá) the Taiwan Strait.
- Geographic term; a narrow sea passage, often with political weight (台海 for cross-strait relations).
- Contrast 海湾 (hǎiwān, a bay/gulf, water going into land); 海峡 is a passage between two seas.