高墙 (gāo qiáng) — high wall; tall wall; (figurative) barrier, obs… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literal 'tall wall'; commonly used figuratively for an invisible barrier between people or between reform and the status quo. Counts with 堵.

noun

high walltall wall(figurative) barrierobstacle

Measure word · 堵

Examples

高墙，。
Zhè zuò gāo qiáng shì gǔ dài xiū jiàn de, yǐ jīng yǒu yì qiān nián lì shǐ le.
This high wall was built in ancient times and is already a thousand years old.
高墙，。
Tā men zhī jiān fǎng fú yǒu yí dào kàn bú jiàn de gāo qiáng, shuí dōu bú yuàn xiān kāi kǒu.
There seems to be an invisible barrier between them; neither is willing to speak first.
高墙，。
Fǎ lǜ bù yīng chéng wéi zǔ ài gǎi gé de gāo qiáng, ér yìng shì gōng píng de shǒu hù zhě.
Law should not be a barrier hindering reform, but rather a guardian of fairness.

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 as high and 墙 as wall combine to name a tall wall or barrier.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 牆; 墙 is its simplified writing.

爿嗇牆

Meaning part形符xíngfú

嗇嗇sèwheat in a granary

Sound part声符shēngfú

爿

爿pán牆qiáng

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

In the traditional form 牆, 爿 gives the sound and 嗇, showing wheat in a granary, gives the wall meaning. The simplified 墙 is a later short form.

Appears in

Buildings & Structures

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