Definition
西洋 is a historical Chinese term for the 'Western world,' particularly Europe and the Americas. It originated during the Ming and Qing dynasties to refer to regions beyond the western seas (especially via maritime routes). Today it appears in fixed terms like 西洋参 (American ginseng) and 西洋画 (Western painting), but for general 'the West,' 西方 is more common in modern Chinese.
p.w.
(historical place word) the Westthe Western world (especially Europe and America)
Examples
- 西洋。Tā duì xī yáng lìshǐ hé wénhuà fēicháng gǎn xìngqù.He is very interested in Western history and culture.
- 西洋。Zhè fú huà shì xī yáng yóuhuà fēnggé.This painting is in the Western oil painting style.
- 西洋。xī yáng de zhéxué sīxiǎng duì jìnxiàndài Zhōngguó yǐngxiǎng hěn dà.Western philosophical thought had a great influence on modern China.
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