靠山 (kào shān) — (figurative) a powerful backer or patron, someone who provides protection or advantage; (literal) a mountain that provides shelter or protection

Definition

A figurative term for a powerful person who backs or protects you. The literal sense ('mountain providing shelter') is the picture behind the metaphor.

noun
(figurative) a powerful backer or patron, someone who provides protection or advantage(literal) a mountain that provides shelter or protection

Examples

  • 靠山，。
    Tā zài gōng sī yǒu kào shān, suǒ yǐ méi rén gǎn dé zuì tā.
    He has a backer at the company, so no one dares offend him.
  • 靠山，。
    Méi yǒu kào shān de rén, zhǐ néng kào zì jǐ nǔ lì dǎ pīn.
    People without a patron have to rely on their own hard work to get ahead.
  • ，靠山。
    Tā zhī suǒ yǐ shēng dé zhè me kuài, quán shì yīn wèi yǒu kào shān.
    The reason he got promoted so fast is entirely because he had a backer.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

靠kàolean on
山shānmountain

靠 means to lean on, and 山 is a mountain; the image is someone or something to lean against.

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
非非fēi
Sound part声符shēngfú
告
告gào靠kào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

靠 is made of 告 and 非: 告 gives the sound, and 非 gives the meaning.

Open 靠 →

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

山 shows three mountain peaks side by side.

Open 山 →

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