圣山 (shèng shān) — holy mountain; sacred mountain

Definition

A mountain regarded as sacred or holy, often a site of religious worship or pilgrimage.

noun

holy mountainsacred mountain

Measure word · 座

圣山。
Měi nián dōu yǒu xǔ duō rén qù shèng shān cháo bài.
Every year many people go to the holy mountain to worship.
圣山。
Zhè zuò shèng shān shì dāng dì rén xīn zhōng de shèng dì.
This sacred mountain is a holy place in the hearts of local people.
圣山。
Tā zài shèng shān jiǎo xià jiàn le yí zuò xiǎo miào.
He built a small temple at the foot of the sacred mountain.

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.

圣 means holy and 山 means mountain, giving a holy mountain.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聖; 圣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

呈

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 聖 puts 耳 (ear) beside 呈, which gives the sound; the simplified 圣 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical parts.

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

山 shows three mountain peaks side by side.