绝壁 (jué bì) — precipice

Definition

A sheer, vertical cliff face — typically emphasizes the extreme steepness and drop of a rock wall (often beside a mountain or canyon), stronger than 悬崖.

noun
precipice
Measure word · 面

Examples

  • 绝壁，。
    Zhè zuò shān yǒu jǐ bǎi mǐ gāo de jué bì, fēi cháng zhuàng guān.
    This mountain has a precipice hundreds of meters high — it's magnificent.
  • 绝壁，。
    Zhàn zài jué bì shàng wǎng xià kàn, ràng rén xīn jīng dǎn zhàn.
    Standing on the precipice and looking down makes one's heart pound with fear.
  • 绝壁。
    Tàn xiǎn duì yán zhe jué bì biān yuán huǎn màn qián jìn.
    The expedition team slowly advanced along the edge of the precipice.

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.

绝juésteep/cut-off
壁bìcliff/wall

绝 describes a steep, cut-off face and 壁 means cliff, together forming a precipice.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →

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 →

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