塔 (tǎ) — pagoda; tower; (Buddhist) stupa
Definition
塔 (tǎ) is a concrete noun for a tower or pagoda — a physical structure, not the act of standing tall. The verbs 矗立, 耸立, 屹立 describe how something stands towering, while 塔 names the object itself.
noun
pagodatower(Buddhist) stupa
Measure word · 座
Examples
- 塔。Zhè zuò tǎ shì táng cháo jiàn de.This pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty.
- 塔，。Chéng lǐ yǒu yí zuò gāo tǎ, wǎn shàng kě yǐ kàn dào hěn yuǎn.There is a tall tower in the city; you can see far at night.
- 塔。Zhè zuò fó tǎ yǒu yì qiān duō nián de lì shǐ.This Buddhist stupa has a history of over a thousand years.
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
荅
荅dá塔tǎ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
塔 shows 土 (earth) for the meaning and 荅 (dá) for the sound.
Appears in
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