遍地
biàn dì · HSK 6
everywhere
🌍 遍 (everywhere) + 地 (ground) = all over the ground
遍 means 'all over' or 'everywhere' as a measure of coverage; 地 means 'ground' or 'land'. Together: covering the ground everywhere, i.e. all over the place.
遍 — 辶 (walk) + 扁 (flat/phonetic)
遍 is a phono-semantic compound. The 辶 radical signals motion or going, while 扁 supplies the sound (related to biǎn/biàn). The original sense of moving over an area gave rise to the modern meaning 'everywhere' or 'one time through'.
地 — earth 土 + 也 (phonetic)
地 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left component 土 means 'earth' or 'soil' and gives the meaning, while 也 on the right hints at the pronunciation. Originally referring to the ground or land, it broadened to mean 'place,' 'region,' and 'territory.'