高原 (gāo yuán) — plateau | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

高原 is elevated flat terrain — high altitude, unlike 平原 which is flat land at low elevation.

noun

plateau

Measure word · 片

Examples

高原高原。
Qīng zàng gāo yuán shì shì jiè shàng hǎi bá zuì gāo de gāo yuán.
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the highest plateau in the world.
高原。
Zhè piàn gāo yuán shàng yǒu yí gè měi lì de hú pō.
There is a beautiful lake on this plateau.
高原。
Hěn duō rén qù gāo yuán lǚ yóu shì wèi le kàn xuě shān.
Many people travel to the plateau to see snow mountains.

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.

高 gives 'high' and 原 gives 'plain', so a high plain is a plateau.

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.

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

泉泉quánspring
厂厂chǎngcliff

原 combines 泉 (spring) and 厂 (cliff), picturing a spring bursting from a cliff-side, which gives the sense of origin or source.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Geography & Landforms

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