TongTong
Sign in

立交桥 (lì jiāo qiáo) — overpass, flyover

Definition

An overpass/flyover for vehicles — a road bridge that crosses over another road. 桥 is the general word for any bridge; 立交桥 is specifically a road-over-road overpass.

noun
overpassflyover
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 立交桥。
    Zhè zuò lì jiāo qiáo huǎn jiě le jiāo tōng yōng dǔ.
    This overpass has eased traffic congestion.
  • 立交桥。
    Wǒ jiā fù jìn yǒu yí zuò lì jiāo qiáo.
    There is an overpass near my home.
  • 立交桥。
    Nà zuò lì jiāo qiáo shè jì dé hěn xiàn dài.
    That overpass is designed very modernly.

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.

立交grade-separated crossing
立lìelevated交jiāocrossing
偏正Modifier + head
桥qiáobridge

立交 gives 'elevated crossing' and 桥 gives 'bridge', naming an overpass.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 橋; 桥 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
喬
喬qiáo橋qiáo
Same sound today

The traditional form 橋 pairs 木 (wood) with 喬 (qiáo), which gave the character its sound; the simplified 桥 is a later abbreviation.

Open 桥 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6

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