铁蹄 (tiě tí) — (figurative) cruel oppression, especially by an invading army or regime; (literal) iron hooves (of a horse)

Definition

Literally 'iron hooves' — used figuratively to mean cruel oppression by an invading army or regime, as in 在殖民者的铁蹄下 ('under the iron heel of the colonizers').

noun
(figurative) cruel oppression, especially by an invading army or regime(literal) iron hooves (of a horse)

Examples

  • 铁蹄。
    Nà ge chéng shì céng jīng bèi qīn lüè zhě de tiě tí yā pò.
    That city was once oppressed under the iron heel of the invaders.
  • 铁蹄。
    Zhàn mǎ de tiě tí tà zài shí tou shàng jiàn qǐ huǒ huā.
    The war horse's iron hooves struck sparks on the stones.
  • 铁蹄，。
    Zài zhí mín zhě de tiě tí xià, dāng dì wén huà zāo dào huǐ miè.
    Under the iron heel of the colonizers, the local culture was destroyed.

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.

铁tiěiron
蹄tíhoof

铁 means iron and 蹄 means hoof; the phrase names iron hooves, then cruel marching force.

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 鐵; 铁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢧤
𢧤𢧤鐵tiě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鐵 pairs 金 (metal) with 𢧤 as a sound part; the simplified 铁 is a later shorthand.

Open 铁 →

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
足足zúfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
帝
帝dì蹄tí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

蹄 uses 足 (foot) to point to feet and 帝 to give its sound.

Open 蹄 →

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