北斗

Běidǒu

noun #15,583

Meanings

1 Big Dipper (constellation)
2 Great Bear
3 Beidou (Chinese satellite navigation system)

Characters

dipper; ladle; unit of measure

Examples

北斗七星在夜空中很容易找到。

Běidǒu qīxīng zài yèkōng zhōng hěn róngyì zhǎodào.

The Big Dipper is easy to find in the night sky.

中国的北斗卫星导航系统已经全球组网。

Zhōngguó de Běidǒu wèixīng dǎoháng xìtǒng yǐjīng quánqiú zǔwǎng.

China's Beidou satellite navigation system has achieved global coverage.

Tips

culture

北斗 has deep cultural significance in China. The Big Dipper was used for navigation and timekeeping for millennia. In modern China, 北斗 also refers to the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), China's alternative to GPS, which achieved full global coverage in 2020.

Stroke Order

北 běi

斗 dòu