高估 (gāo gū) — overestimate | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Verb meaning 'to overestimate' — to value a person, ability, or thing too highly. Contrast with 低估 (underestimate); common in passive 被 constructions, as in 能力被高估了.

verb

overestimate

Examples

高估。
Tā de néng lì bèi gāo gū le.
His abilities were overestimated.
高估。
Bú yào gāo gū zì jǐ de shí lì.
Don't overestimate your own strength.
高估。
Zhè cì kǎo shì nán dù bèi hěn duō rén gāo gū le.
The difficulty of this exam was overestimated by many people.

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.

估gūestimate

高 marks an estimate as too high, so 高估 means to overestimate.

Characters in this word

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

高 was drawn as a tall building.

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

亻古估

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

古

古gǔ估gū

Same sound today

The left part 亻 is a person; the right part 古 gives 估 its sound.

Appears in

Thinking & Cognition

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