石壁 (shí bì) — cliff; precipice | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

cliffprecipice

Measure word · 面

石壁。
Yuǎn chù yǒu yí miàn gāo gāo de shí bì.
There is a high cliff in the distance.
石壁。
Tā men pá shàng le nà zuò dǒu qiào de shí bì.
They climbed up that steep precipice.
石壁。
shí bì Shàng kè zhe gǔ lǎo de wén zì.
Ancient characters are carved on the cliff.

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.

石 gives stone and 壁 gives cliff, yielding a stone cliff.

Characters in this word

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.

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

土辟壁

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

辟

Same sound today

壁 combines 土 (earth) and 辟, which gives the sound. The whole means an earthen wall.