高位 (gāo wèi) — high position; high rank; upper part of a limb… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'high position.' Used for senior official rank (e.g. 公司高位) and, in medicine, the upper part of a limb (as in 高位骨折).

noun

high positionhigh rankupper part of a limb (anatomical)

Examples

。
Tā tōng guò nǔ lì huò dé le gōng sī de gāo wèi.
He obtained a high position in the company through hard work.
。
Tā de gāo wèi gǔ zhé xū yào shǒu shù zhì liáo.
His upper limb fracture requires surgical treatment.
。
Tā zài zhèng fǔ bù mén dān rèn gāo wèi.
She holds a high position in the government department.

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.

位wèiposition

“高” high and “位” position or place; together mean a high rank or upper part.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

立

立lì位wèi

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

位 combines 人 (man), related to people, with 立, which gives the sound. It was often simply written as 立.

Appears in

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