山沟 (shān gōu) — (noun) gully or ravine in the mountains; (noun) remote mountain area (often implying poverty or isolation)

Definition

Literally 'mountain gully': the physical ravine itself, or the remote, often poor mountain area around it.

noun
gully or ravine in the mountainsremote mountain area (often implying poverty or isolation)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè ge shān cūn zài yí gè shēn shān gōu lǐ.
    This mountain village is in a deep ravine.
  • 山沟，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo zài shān gōu lǐ zhǎng dà, hòu lái qù le dà chéng shì.
    She grew up in a remote mountain area and later went to a big city.
  • 山沟。
    Nà tiáo shān gōu liǎng biān zhǎng mǎn le shù mù.
    That gully is lined with trees on both sides.

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.

山shānmountain
沟gōugully

山 refers to mountains, and 沟 to a ditch or gully; together they mean a mountain ravine.

Characters in this word

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

山 shows three mountain peaks side by side.

Open 山 →

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 溝; 沟 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
冓
冓gòu溝gōu
Same sound today

The traditional form 溝 pairs 氵 (water) with 冓 for the sound; the simplified 沟 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical part.

Open 沟 →

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