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高耸 (gāo sǒng) — to tower, to stand tall and erect

Definition

A literary verb meaning 'to tower' — emphasizes height and vertical prominence, typically of mountains or buildings. More formal and descriptive than the plain 高 ('tall').

verb
to towerto stand tall and erect

Examples

  • 。
    Nà zuò shān gāo sǒng rù yún.
    That mountain towers into the clouds.
  • 高耸。
    Chéng shì lǐ gāo sǒng de mó tiān dà lóu suí chù kě jiàn.
    Towering skyscrapers can be seen everywhere in the city.
  • 高耸。
    Gǔ sōng gāo sǒng zài xuán yá biān.
    The ancient pine stands tall on the cliff edge.

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
耸sǒngtower

高 adds tallness to 耸, describing something standing erect and high.

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 聳; 耸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěr
Sound part声符shēngfú
從
從cóng聳sǒng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 聳 pairs 耳 (ear) with 從 (cóng) to give the sound; the simplified 耸 is a later shorthand.

Open 耸 →
Appears in
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