岭 (lǐng) — (bound form) mountain ridge; (bound form) mountain range
Definition
岭 is a bound morpheme meaning 'mountain ridge' or 'mountain range' — it never stands alone. Use it inside place names (秦岭) or words like 山岭, where the other character carries the meaning.
bound form
mountain ridgemountain range
Examples
- 。Zhè zuò shān lǐng yòu gāo yòu dǒu.This mountain ridge is tall and steep.
- 岭。Qín lǐng shì zhōng guó zhòng yào de shān mài.The Qinling Mountains are an important mountain range in China.
- ，。Wǒ men fān guò le yí zuò shān lǐng, yǎn qián chū xiàn yí piàn píng yuán.We crossed a mountain ridge and saw a plain before us.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 嶺; 岭 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
領
領lǐng嶺lǐng
Same sound today
The traditional form 嶺 combines 山 (mountain) with 領 to give the sound; the simplified 岭 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.
Appears in
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