栋梁 (dòng liáng) — (figurative) pillar, mainstay (of a nation, organization, etc.); (literal) ridgepole and beams (of a house)
Definition
栋梁 (dòng liáng) is a literary word for a 'pillar of the nation' — used almost entirely in the figurative sense for key people. 比 支柱 more lofty/patriotic, and unlike 脊梁 it rarely describes physical spine or ordinary backbone.
noun
(figurative) pillarmainstay (of a nation, organization, etc.)(literal) ridgepole and beams (of a house)
Examples
- 栋梁，。Tā shì wǒ men gōng sī de dòng liáng, méi yǒu tā gōng sī jiù yùn zhuǎn bù liǎo.He is the pillar of our company; without him the company can't operate.
- 栋梁。Zhè xiē nián qīng kē xué jiā shì guó jiā de wèi lái dòng liáng.These young scientists are the future pillars of the nation.
- 栋梁。Gǔ dài jiàn zhù de dòng liáng duō yòng hǎo mù cái zhì chéng.The ridgepoles and beams of ancient buildings were often made of fine wood.
Appears in
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