堤 (dī) — dike, embankment, levee
Definition
堤 (dī) is a noun meaning 'embankment / levee' built along a river or coast to hold back water. Pairs naturally with 坝 to form 堤坝; standalone 坝 is more often a dam across a river.
noun
dikeembankmentlevee
Measure word · 条
Examples
- 。Nóng mín zài hé liǎng àn xiū jiàn le dī bà.The farmers built a dike on both sides of the river.
- ，。Dà yǔ guò hòu, dī bà bǎo hù le cūn zhuāng.After the heavy rain, the dike protected the village.
- 。Gōng rén zhèng zài jiā gù zhè duàn dī bà.Workers are reinforcing this section of the dike.
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.
The left part 土 shows it relates to soil or earth, while the right part 是 gives the sound.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.