TongTong
Sign in

屹立 (yì lì) — to stand toweringly; to stand firm and upright (of buildings, mountains, or people)

Definition

屹立 (yìlì) means 'to stand toweringly and firm' — emphasizes rock-solid stability, often used for buildings, mountains, or an unwavering person. Slightly more literary than 耸立/矗立, which focus mainly on height.

verb
to stand toweringlyto stand firm and upright (of buildings, mountains, or people)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 屹立。
    Zhè zuò lì shǐ jiàn zhù yǐ jīng zài zhè lǐ yì lì le yì bǎi duō nián.
    This historic building has stood here for over a hundred years.
  • 屹立，。
    Tā miàn duì yā lì yī rán yì lì, méi yǒu tuì suō.
    He still stood firm in the face of pressure, not backing down.
  • ，屹立。
    Gāo shān zhī diān, yí zuò gǔ tǎ yì lì zài yún wù zhōng.
    Atop the high mountain, an ancient pagoda towers in the clouds.

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.

屹yìtowering
立lìstand

“屹” (towering) describes how something “立” (stands), giving a firm, upright stance.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

Open 立 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.