凌云 (Líng yún) — to soar to the clouds; to reach the clouds (fig. of ambition or spirit)

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to soar to the clouds' — used almost entirely in figurative contexts (志向, 气势) to describe lofty ambition, spirit, or grandeur. Rare in everyday speech; mostly found in writing, slogans, and titles.

verb
to soar to the cloudsto reach the clouds (fig. of ambition or spirit)

Examples

  • 凌云，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù zhuàng zhì Líng yún, xiǎng yào dāng yǔ háng yuán.
    He has had soaring aspirations since childhood and wanted to become an astronaut.
  • ，。
    Xióng yīng líng guò yún, zì yóu áo xiáng.
    The eagle soared through the clouds, flying freely.
  • 凌云，。
    Zhè bù zuò pǐn qì shì Líng yún, lìng rén zhèn hàn.
    This work has a majestic spirit that reaches the clouds, truly stunning.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

凌língsoar
云yúnclouds

凌 means soar or reach, and 云 is clouds, giving to reach the clouds.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
冫Written in full as仌bīngice
Sound part声符shēngfú
夌
夌líng凌líng
Same sound today

In 凌, the left part 冫 relates to ice, while the right part 夌 gives the pronunciation.

Open 凌 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 雲; 云 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 雲 is 雨 (rain) plus 云; 云 was the original writing for 'cloud', and 雨 was added to separate it from the borrowed sense 'to say'.

Open 云 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.