Difference between bei3fang1 (北方) and bei3bian (北边) ?

[ablaze]

What's the difference, does anyone know?

[HashiriKata]

Generally speaking: 北方 is Northern Area/ Northern Region and 北边 is the Northern side, northern direction, or that which is on the North side.

[ablaze]

Ok thanks, and how is bei3bu4 (北部) different?

Edited November 21, 2009 at 05:24 PM by ablaze

[analgesia]

bei fang: fang means direction, beifang is prefer to express a general northern place,which is usually no certain limit in scale and no object of reference

beibian: bian means side,beibian is prefer to express a certain northern position towards a

definited object of reference

beibu: bu means ' part of' ,beibu is prefer to express a certain part of area which is/are in the northern part of the area/region/domain,the preference is limited within the certain place.

clear?

[HashiriKata]

北部: the Northern part of (a country, a region). However, you'll find overlaps between the three words and the use of one in stead of the others may appear to be based on speaking habits, regional diferences, etc. The best things to do in cases like this is to listen to native speakers, take notes of samples of use and then imitate.

[Lingjian23]

My understanding is that Beifang usually specifically refers to the northern area of China, i.e., everything north of the Yangze River (though it seems in popular consciousness that areas like Xinjiang, Qinghai, etc. do not count as Beifang). Beifang also has a clear cultural component to it, as people see northerners and southerners as being qualitatively different; usages of the term Beifang in China often include this sort of consciousness of these perceived cultural differences (for example, Beifang ren hen dafang, etc. etc.)

Beibu could be used in a more neutral context to describe the northern area of any geographic area, including other countries (for example, Meiguo de beibu = the northern part of America).