山谷 (shān gǔ) — valley, ravine | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A natural valley between mountains — broader and larger than the narrow, eroded channel 沟, and gentler than the steep-walled 峡谷 ('canyon').

noun

valleyravine

Examples

山谷。
Zhè tiáo shān gǔ de liǎng biān zhǎng mǎn le sōng shù.
Both sides of this valley are covered with pine trees.
山谷。
Qīng chén de shān gǔ lǐ piāo zhe bó wù.
A thin mist drifts through the valley in the early morning.
山谷。
Tā men yán zhe shān gǔ zǒu le zhěng zhěng yì tiān.
They walked along the valley for an entire day.

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

谷gǔvalley

'山' specifies the kind of '谷', a valley among mountains.

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.

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

The shape of 谷 comes from a picture of a valley: an opening between two near-parallel lines for mountain walls.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Geography & Landforms

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