崇高 (chóng gāo) — majestic, sublime, lofty | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

崇高 describes noble, lofty ideals, spirit, or goals — moral or spiritual grandeur, not physical size. 雄伟 and 盛大 describe impressive scale or ceremony; 高尚 is 'morally noble' (character, conduct), closer in meaning but more about personal virtue.

adjective

majesticsublimelofty

Examples

崇高。
Tā de chóng gāo jīng shén gǔ wǔ le hěn duō rén.
His lofty spirit inspired many people.
崇高，。
Wèi le chóng gāo de mù biāo, tā yuàn yì fù chū yí qiè.
For a sublime goal, he is willing to give everything.
崇高。
Zhè zuò diāo sù gěi rén chóng gāo de gǎn jué.
This sculpture gives people a majestic feeling.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

崇 and 高 both convey loftiness, together expressing a majestic, sublime quality.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

山宗崇

Meaning part形符xíngfú

山山shānmountain

Sound part声符shēngfú

宗

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

崇 is built from 山 (mountain) on top and 宗 below; the mountain shows the idea, while 宗 gives the sound.

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

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Good & Bad

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