塚 (zhǒng) — (literary) mound, tomb
Definition
Literary term for a tomb mound — found mostly in classical texts and archaeological writing, not everyday speech. Pair with 量词 座 (e.g., 一座塚).
noun
(literary) moundtomb
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 塚。Zhè zuò gǔ zhǒng yǐ yǒu qiān nián lì shǐ.This ancient tomb has a history of a thousand years.
- 塚。Tā zài shān shàng fā xiàn le yí zuò huāng zhǒng.He discovered an abandoned tomb on the mountain.
- 塚。Kǎo gǔ xué jiā zhèng zài wā jué zhè zuò shāng dài zhǒng.Archaeologists are excavating this Shang dynasty tomb.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
塚 joins 土 (earth) with 冢, which gives the sound, to describe an earthen mound or tomb.
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