堆 (duī) — (verb) to pile up, to heap up; (noun) pile, heap, stack; (classifier) used for piles of things
Definition
Verb/noun: 'to pile up' or 'a pile, heap' — concrete physical stacking. 叠 focuses on neat folding/stacking (paper, dishes), 码 on arranging uniformly. As a classifier, it counts piles (一大堆雪 = 'a big pile of snow').
verb
to pile upto heap up
noun
pileheapstack
classifier
used for piles of things
Measure word · 堆
Examples
- 堆。Tā bǎ jiù bào zhǐ duī zài mén kǒu.He piled old newspapers at the doorway.
- 堆。Dì shàng yǒu yí dà duī xuě.There is a big pile of snow on the ground.
- 堆。Nà duī lā jī xū yào mǎ shàng bān zǒu.That pile of trash needs to be moved away immediately.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
隹
隹zhuī堆duī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
堆 is built from 土 (earth) and 隹, which supplies the sound.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.