下坡 (xià pō) — downhill path or slope; (figurative) downturn,… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

下坡 is a literal downhill slope, and figuratively a downturn or decline — usually as 走下坡路 ('to go downhill', like a business or relationship).

noun

downhill path or slope(figurative) downturndecline

Measure word · 个

Examples

下坡，。
Zhè tiáo xià pō hěn dǒu, kāi chē yào xiǎo xīn.
This downhill path is very steep, be careful driving.
，。
Gōng sī yè jì yì zhí zǒu xià pō lù, xū yào gǎi gé.
The company's performance has been on a downhill trend; it needs reform.
下坡。
Tā jiā de jīng jì yǐ jīng chǔ yú xià pō zhuàng tài.
His family's finances are already in a state of decline.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

下xiàgo down

下 means go down and 坡 means slope, so together they describe moving down a slope or a downhill path.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

土皮坡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔdirt

Sound part声符shēngfú

皮

皮pí坡pō

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

坡 combines 土, shown as dirt, with 皮, a part used for sound.

Appears in

Geography & Landforms

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