香格里拉 (Xiāng gé lǐ lā) — Shangri-La (fictional utopia; also a hotel bran… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A famous fictional paradise from James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon — in Chinese use it as a poetic name for an ideal, earthly utopia, much like 世外桃源. In modern Chinese it is also the name of a luxury hotel chain.

noun

Shangri-La (fictional utopia; also a hotel brand)

Examples

香格里拉。
Wǒ mèng xiǎng qù Xiāng gé lǐ lā lǚ xíng.
I dream of traveling to Shangri-La.
香格里拉。
Zhè jiā Xiāng gé lǐ lā jiǔ diàn de fú wù fēi cháng hǎo.
This Shangri-La hotel's service is very good.
香格里拉。
Xiāng gé lǐ lā Zài xiǎo shuō lǐ shì yí gè shì wài táo yuán.
In the novel, Shangri-La is a paradise.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

黍黍shǔglutinous millet
口口kǒumouth

香's early form paired 黍 (glutinous millet) with 口 (mouth), perhaps showing millet drink being taken in or offered.

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

木各格

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

各

各gè格gé

Same sound today

格 is built from 木 (wood) on the left and 各 on the right, which gives the sound.

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 裡; 里 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 里 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (里, 里面) it is 裡; in others (公里) it is 里 or 裏.

衤里裡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

衤Written in full as衣yīclothes

Sound part声符shēngfú

里

里lǐ裡lǐ

Same sound today

The form 裡 pairs 衤 (clothes) with 里 as a sound component.

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

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

立

立lì拉lā

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

拉 pairs 手 (hand) with 立, a component that supplies the sound.

Appears in

Landmarks & Attractions Mythology & Folklore

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