分水岭 (fēn shuǐ lǐng) — (geography) watershed, drainage divide; (figurative) line of demarcation, turning point

Definition

Literally 'water-dividing ridge' — a watershed in geography, but commonly used figuratively as a decisive turning point or dividing line (e.g., in history, a career).

noun
(geography) watersheddrainage divide(figurative) line of demarcationturning point
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 分水岭。
    Zhè zuò shān mài shì cháng jiāng hé huáng hé de fēn shuǐ lǐng.
    This mountain range is the watershed between the Yangtze and the Yellow River.
  • 分水岭。
    Nà cì kǎo shì shī bài chéng le tā xué xí de fēn shuǐ lǐng.
    That exam failure became a turning point in his studies.
  • 分水岭。
    Zhè chǎng zhàn zhēng shì lì shǐ de zhòng yào fēn shuǐ lǐng.
    This war was an important watershed in history.

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.

分水divide water
分fēndivide水shuǐwater
动宾Verb + object
岭lǐngridge

分水 means dividing water, and 岭 is a ridge, so 分水岭 is a ridge that divides water.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

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 嶺; 岭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
領
領lǐng嶺lǐng
Same sound today

The traditional form 嶺 combines 山 (mountain) with 領 to give the sound; the simplified 岭 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 岭 →

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