西北 xīběi Northwest China
Northwest China (Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang); northwest
How to remember 西北: 西 west + 北 north = Northwest China.
Characters
How it is used
- The compass direction northwest, and specifically the Northwest China region (Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang) - 中国西北 (Zhōngguó xīběi).
- Chinese orders these compounds west-first: 西北 (NW), 西南 (SW), unlike English 'north-west'. As a region it evokes desert and the Silk Road.
Example sentences
- 他的老家在中国西北。 Tā de lǎojiā zài Zhōngguó xīběi.His hometown is in China’s northwest.