海拔 (hǎi bá) — altitude; elevation; height above sea level | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

海拔 is the specific 'altitude / elevation above sea level' (a measured number, e.g. 1000米). 高度 is the general word for 'height' of anything; 海面 is the 'sea surface' itself used as a reference point.

noun

altitudeelevationheight above sea level

Examples

海拔。
Zhè zuò chéng shì de hǎi bá dà yuē shì yì qiān mǐ.
The altitude of this city is about one thousand meters.
海拔。
Fēi jī zhèng zài yí wàn mǐ de hǎi bá shàng fēi xíng.
The plane is flying at an altitude of ten thousand meters.
海拔。
Qīng zàng gāo yuán de píng jūn hǎi bá chāo guò sì qiān mǐ.
The average elevation of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau exceeds four thousand meters.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

海 means sea and 拔 means rise, together picturing height above sea level.

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.

氵每海

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

每

每měi海hǎi

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

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

扌犮拔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

犮

犮bá拔bá

Same sound today

In 拔, the left side 扌 is a hand and the right side 犮 gives the sound; the shape pictures a hand pulling.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Geography & Landforms

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