后山 (hòu shān) — back mountain; hill behind a village or building

Definition

后山 is literally 'the mountain/hill behind' — the land behind a village, house, or building, often used for orchards, paths, or a simple rural backyard. Pairs with 上 (后山上) for 'on the back hill' and 的 (后山的) for 'of the back hill'.

noun
back mountainhill behind a village or building
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 后山。
    Wǒ jiā de hòu shān shàng zhǒng le hěn duō guǒ shù.
    Many fruit trees are planted on the back mountain of my home.
  • 后山。
    Cóng chuāng hu néng kàn dào hòu shān de fēng jǐng.
    You can see the view of the back mountain from the window.
  • 后山。
    Měi tiān qīng chén tā qù hòu shān sàn bù.
    He goes for a walk on the back mountain every morning.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

后hòuback
山shānmountain

后 means 'back' and 山 means 'mountain', together referring to the mountain behind.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

山 shows three mountain peaks side by side.

Open 山 →

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