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山脉 (shān mài) — mountain range

Definition

山脉 refers to a connected chain of mountains — a whole range, not a single peak. 山峰 is the individual peak; 山岭 is the ridge line connecting peaks; 山区 is the broader inhabited mountainous region.

noun
mountain range
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 山脉。
    Zhè tiáo shān mài shì shì jiè shàng zuì cháng de zhī yī.
    This mountain range is one of the longest in the world.
  • 山脉。
    shān mài De xíng chéng xū yào jǐ bǎi wàn nián.
    The formation of mountain ranges takes millions of years.
  • 山脉。
    Bǎo hù shān mài de shēng tài huán jìng fēi cháng zhòng yào.
    Protecting the ecological environment of mountain ranges is very important.

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
脉màivein

'山' means mountain and '脉' means vein, together suggesting a chain of mountains.

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 脈; 脉 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂢
𠂢𠂢脈mài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 脈 pairs ⺼ (flesh) with a sound part, 𠂢; the simplified 脉 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 脉 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Geography & Landforms

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