塔顶 (tǎ dǐng) — top of a pagoda or tower

Definition

noun
top of a pagoda or tower
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 塔顶。
    Dēng shàng tǎ dǐng kě yǐ fǔ kàn zhěng gè chéng shì.
    Climbing to the top of the tower gives you a panoramic view of the whole city.
  • 塔顶。
    Zhè zuò gǔ tǎ de tǎ dǐng yǐ jīng yǒu xiē pò sǔn le.
    The top of this ancient pagoda is already somewhat damaged.
  • 塔顶。
    Yóu kè zài tǎ dǐng pāi zhào liú niàn.
    Tourists take photos at the top of the pagoda as a souvenir.

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.

塔tǎtower
顶dǐngtop

塔 means tower and 顶 means top; together they name the top of a tower.

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tǔ
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.

Open 塔 →

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 頂; 顶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng頂dǐng
Same sound today

The traditional form 頂 pairs 頁, meaning head, with 丁, which supplies the sound; the simplified 顶 is a later abbreviation.

Open 顶 →

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