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戈壁 (Gē bì) — Gobi (desert)

Definition

Proper name for the Gobi, a large desert region in northern China and southern Mongolia. Used as a fixed place name rather than a generic word for 'desert' (which is 沙漠).

noun
Gobi (desert)

Examples

  • 戈壁。
    Gē bì Shā mò de miàn jī fēi cháng dà.
    The Gobi Desert is very large in area.
  • 戈壁。
    Hěn duō tàn xiǎn jiā qù Gē bì tàn xiǎn.
    Many explorers go to the Gobi to explore.
  • 戈壁。
    Gē bì De yè wǎn fēi cháng lěng.
    The nights in the Gobi are very cold.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

戈 is drawn as an ancient dagger-ax with one blade; its long diagonal stroke comes from the weapon's vertical handle.

Open 戈 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
辟
辟pì壁bì
Same sound today

壁 combines 土 (earth) and 辟, which gives the sound. The whole means an earthen wall.

Open 壁 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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