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高贵 (gāo guì) — noble (of birth or character); grand, magnificent

Definition

高贵 describes 'noble' in birth, character, or refined elegance. Among siblings: 高尚 stresses moral loftiness, 尊贵 stresses being honored and respected, and 宏伟/雄伟 describe grand scale (buildings, scenery).

adjective
noble (of birth or character)grandmagnificent

Examples

  • 高贵。
    Tā chū shēn yú yí gè gāo guì de jiā tíng.
    He was born into a noble family.
  • 高贵。
    Zhè jiàn lǐ fú shè jì dé fēi cháng gāo guì.
    This dress is designed very elegantly.
  • 高贵。
    Tā yǒu yì zhǒng gāo guì de pǐn dé.
    He has a noble character.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

高gāohigh
贵guìnoble; precious

高 means high and 贵 means noble or precious, so together they describe someone or something elevated in dignity.

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 貴; 贵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney cowrie
Sound part声符shēngfú
臾
臾yú貴guì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貴 uses 貝, a money cowrie, for meaning and 臾 for sound. The simplified 贵 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the old parts.

Open 贵 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Personality & Traits

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