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高处 (gāo chù) — high place; height

Definition

noun
high placeheight

Examples

  • 高处，。
    Cóng gāo chù kàn, zhěng gè chéng shì dōu hěn měi.
    From a high place, the whole city looks beautiful.
  • 高处。
    Tā xǐ huan zhàn zài gāo chù kàn yuǎn chù.
    He likes to stand at a high place and look into the distance.
  • ，高处。
    Xiǎo xīn, bú yào cóng gāo chù diào xià lái.
    Be careful, don't fall from a high place.

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gāohigh
处chùplace

“高” means high and “处” means place, together a high place.

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.

Open 高 →

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
Food (General)

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