山峡 (shān xiá) — gorge

Definition

noun
gorge
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 山峡。
    Zhè ge shān xiá fēng jǐng fēi cháng měi lì.
    This gorge's scenery is very beautiful.
  • 山峡。
    Wǒ men zuò chuán chuān guò le yí gè shān xiá.
    We took a boat through a gorge.
  • 山峡。
    Cháng jiāng shān xiá fēi cháng zhuàng guān.
    The Yangtze River gorges are very spectacular.

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.

山shānmountain
峡xiágorge

山 points to the mountain setting and 峡 to the narrow gorge between heights.

Characters in this word

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 →

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 峽; 峡 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
夾
夾jiā峽
Same sound today

The traditional form 峽 combines 山, a mountain, with 夾, used for its sound; this note describes 峽, not 峡.

Open 峡 →

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