直立 (zhí lì) — to stand upright, to stand erect

Definition

verb
to stand uprightto stand erect

Examples

  • 直立。
    Qǐng bǎo chí shēn tǐ zhí lì.
    Please keep your body upright.
  • 直立。
    Zhè gēn zhù zi yǐ jīng zhí lì le wǔ shí nián.
    This pillar has stood upright for fifty years.
  • 直立。
    Rén lèi kě yǐ zhí lì xíng zǒu.
    Humans can walk upright.

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.

直zhíupright
立lìstand

upright plus stand gives to stand erect.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The earliest form of 直 pairs 目, an eye, with an unclear stroke 丨.

Open 直 →

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 →

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