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对峙 (duì zhì) — to confront, to face off against

Definition

对峙 describes two opposing sides locked in a standoff — military, police, or verbal. Stronger and more drawn-out than 面对 ('face'), and more static than 对抗 ('actively resist/fight back').

verb
to confrontto face off against
Easily confused

Examples

  • 对峙。
    Liǎng jūn duì zhì le sān tiān sān yè.
    The two armies faced off for three days and nights.
  • 对峙。
    Jǐng chá yǔ xián yí rén duì zhì le yí gè xiǎo shí.
    The police confronted the suspect for an hour.
  • ，对峙。
    Shuāng fāng yì jiàn bù tóng, duì zhì bú xià.
    The two sides had different opinions and could not reach agreement.

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.

对duìopposite
峙zhìstand

对 suggests facing opposite, and 峙 means to stand, so the idea is standing face to face.

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 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →

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
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì峙zhì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

峙 pairs 山 (mountain) with 寺, which gives the sound.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Conflict & Agreement

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