翻越 (fān yuè) — to climb over, to cross over (an obstacle)

Definition

verb

to climb overto cross over (an obstacle)

翻越。
Tā men chéng gōng fān yuè le nà zuò gāo shān.
They successfully crossed over that high mountain.
翻越。
Xiǎo tōu fān yuè wéi qiáng táo pǎo le.
The thief climbed over the wall and escaped.
翻越。
Wǒ men xū yào fān yuè xǔ duō zhàng ài cái néng dá dào mù biāo.
We need to overcome many obstacles to reach the goal.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

翻fānclimb over

越yuècross over

“翻” and “越” both mean crossing over, together describing climbing across an obstacle.

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.

番羽翻

Meaning part形符xíngfú

羽羽yǔwings

Sound part声符shēngfú

番

Same sound today

翻 pairs 羽 (wings) with 番, which gives the sound. The shape shows something fluttering.

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

走戉越

Meaning part形符xíngfú

走走zǒuto walk or run

Sound part声符shēngfú

戉

戉yuè越yuè

Same sound today

越 is built from 走 (to walk or run) and 戉 (which supplies the sound); the 走 part shows the idea of going over or crossing.

Appears in