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金汤 (jīn shāng) — impregnable fortress

Definition

A literary, written term for an impregnable fortress or stronghold. Pair it with 堡垒 when explaining or comparing; almost never used in spoken Chinese.

noun
impregnable fortress
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 金汤，。
    Zhè zuò bǎo lěi zhēn shì jīn shāng, dí rén gōng bú jìn lái.
    This fortress is truly an impregnable stronghold; the enemy cannot break in.
  • ，金汤。
    Lì shǐ shàng, zhè zuò jīn shāng cóng wèi bèi gōng pò.
    Historically, this impregnable fortress was never breached.
  • 金汤，。
    Tā men yī kào zhè dào jīn shāng, jiān shǒu le sān gè yuè.
    They relied on this impregnable fortress and held out for three months.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

金jīnmetal
汤tāngboiling water

金 and 汤 recall metal walls and boiling moats, together suggesting an impregnable fortress.

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.

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →

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 湯; 汤 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng湯tāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 汤, the shape explained is 湯: 氵 is water, and 昜 gives the sound.

Open 汤 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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