奠基石 (diàn jī shí) — cornerstone (literal and figurative)

Definition

noun

cornerstone (literal and figurative)

Measure word · 块

奠基石。
Gōng rén men bǎ diàn jī shí fàng hǎo le.
The workers placed the cornerstone properly.
奠基石。
Jiào yù shì guó jiā fā zhǎn de diàn jī shí.
Education is the cornerstone of national development.
奠基石。
Xìn rèn shì yǒu yì de diàn jī shí.
Trust is the cornerstone of friendship.

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.

奠基

奠diànlay; found基jīfoundation

动宾Verb + object

奠基 means laying a foundation, and that describes the 石, giving cornerstone.

Characters in this word

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

奠 originally pictured an alcohol vessel placed on a mat.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

其土基

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

Same sound today

The lower 土 means earth, and the upper 其 gives the sound; together they form the idea of a foundation of earth.

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

The shape of 石 shows a stone under a cliff-like overhang, or a cave set into a cliff side.