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地势 (dì shì) — terrain, topography

Definition

地势 refers to the overall rise and fall of land — hills, valleys, slopes. Use 地形 for the specific shape/landform of a spot; 形势 is the general situation, not physical land.

noun
terraintopography

Examples

  • 地势。
    Zhè zuò chéng shì de dì shì fēi cháng shì hé jiàn jī chǎng.
    The terrain of this city is very suitable for building an airport.
  • 地势，。
    Yóu yú dì shì fù zá, xiū jiàn tiě lù de nán dù hěn dà.
    Due to the complex terrain, the difficulty of building the railway is very high.
  • 地势。
    Kān tàn duì zhèng zài cè liáng zhè yí dài de dì shì.
    The survey team is measuring the terrain of this area.

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.

地dìland
势shìform; shape

The 势 (form) of the 地 (land) gives terrain.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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 勢; 势 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
埶
埶yì勢shì
Same sound today

The traditional form 勢 combines 力, meaning power, with 埶 for the sound. The simplified 势 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 势 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Geography & Landforms

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