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天高地厚 (tiān gāo dì hòu) — (idiom) profound (as of favor, love); immensity of the universe; (idiom, in negative) 不知天高地厚 — to not know one's place; to be arrogantly ignorant

Definition

Idiom meaning 'the vastness of heaven and earth.' Almost always used in the negative 不知天高地厚 to scold someone for being arrogantly ignorant of their place.

idiom
profound (as of favor, love)immensity of the universe(idiom, in negative) 不知天高地厚 — to not know one's placeto be arrogantly ignorant

Examples

  • 天高地厚。
    Fù mǔ duì wǒ de ēn qíng zhēn shì tiān gāo dì hòu.
    My parents' kindness to me is truly as vast as heaven and earth.
  • ，天高地厚。
    Tā jū rán gǎn dǐng zhuàng lǎo bǎn, zhēn shì bù zhī dào tiān gāo dì hòu.
    He actually dared to talk back to the boss — he really doesn't know his place.
  • ，天高地厚。
    Zhǐ yǒu jīng lì guò fēng yǔ, cái zhī dào tiān gāo dì hòu.
    Only after going through storms do you understand the immensity of the world.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

天高sky high
天tiānsky高gāohigh
主谓Subject + predicate
地厚earth thick
地dìearth厚hòuthick
主谓Subject + predicate

天高 says the sky is high and 地厚 says the earth is deep, painting immense vastness.

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 厂厂chǎngcliff; cave on a cliff
  • 𣆪𣆪𣆪jug

The shape of 厚 puts 𣆪, a jug, beneath 厂, a cliff or cave.

Open 厚 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsIdioms & Set Phrases

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