重压 (zhòng yā) — heavy pressure, great weight (physical or figur…

Definition

重压 (zhòng yā) means 'heavy pressure' — weight or burden that bears down on someone or something, often figurative (stress, pressure of life).

noun

heavy pressuregreat weight (physical or figurative)

重压。
Shēng huó de zhòng yā ràng tā chuǎn bú guò qì lái.
The heavy pressure of life made him unable to catch his breath.
重压。
Zhè zuò qiáo chéng shòu zhe jù dà de zhòng yā.
This bridge bears a huge weight.
重压，。
Zài zhòng yā zhī xià, tā xuǎn zé le fàng qì.
Under heavy pressure, he chose to give up.

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.

压yāpressure

The sense of heavy joins with pressure to mean great weight or strain.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

東

東dōng重zhòng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

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 壓; 压 is its simplified writing.

厭土壓

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔdust

Sound part声符shēngfú

厭

厭yàn壓yā

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

The traditional form 壓 is built from 土, dust, and 厭, which gives the sound; 压 is the simplified form of 壓.