Grand Canal
- proper noun
:
Gran Canal
- Traveling along the Grand Canal by boat offers a unique perspective of China's scenic landscapes and rich history.
Examples
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Throughout history, China's leaders have drawn on the ingenuity of China's massive population to realize some of the world's most spectacular construction projects, the Great Wall, the Grand Canal, and the Three Gorges Dam among them.
Academic text (2008) -
The Grand Canal, which stretches over 1,000 miles, has been vital for transportation in eastern China for centuries.
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Many tourists visit the Grand Canal to explore its picturesque waterways and learn about its historical significance in Chinese culture.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The words 'grand' (large, magnificent) and 'canal' (engineered water channel) combine transparently to indicate a large or important waterway, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will infer the basic meaning. However, 'Grand Canal' is a specific historic proper name (the extensive Chinese waterway), and its precise geographic and historical reference is not predictable from the parts alone, so full interpretation requires world knowledge.
Etymology
Grand Canal in China is a very long, man-made 'road' of water that links north and south so boats can carry goods and people. It was built long ago to move grain and help farming, so being called the Grand Canal shows it was the main and very important water route.
