横渡 (héng dù) — to cross (a body of water by swimming, sailing, or other means)

Definition

Used specifically for crossing a wide body of water (river, sea, channel, ocean), usually implying effort or a notable feat. The character 渡 alone is the everyday verb 'to cross'; 横 emphasizes the breadth or difficulty.

verb
to cross (a body of water by swimming, sailing, or other means)

Examples

  • 横渡。
    Tā yòng le liǎng gè xiǎo shí héng dù zhè tiáo jiāng.
    It took him two hours to cross this river.
  • 横渡。
    Hěn duō rén mèng xiǎng héng dù yīng jí lì hǎi xiá.
    Many people dream of crossing the English Channel.
  • 横渡。
    Zhè cì héng dù dà xī yáng de bǐ sài fēi cháng wēi xiǎn.
    This race across the Atlantic was extremely dangerous.

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.

横héngacross
渡dùcross water

横 gives 'across' and 渡 gives 'cross water', together crossing a body of water.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 橫; 横 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
黃
黃huáng橫héng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 橫 has 木, meaning wood, beside 黃, which supplies the sound; the simplified 横 is a later abbreviation.

Open 横 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
度
度dù渡dù
Same sound today

渡 has 氵, water, beside 度, which gives the sound.

Open 渡 →

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