TongTong
Sign in

高温 (gāo wēn) — high temperature

Definition

高温 means 'high temperature' (weather or environment). It pairs naturally with its opposite 低温; 高压 and 高空 refer to pressure and altitude, not heat.

noun
high temperature

Examples

  • 高温。
    Míng tiān gāo wēn shì sān shí bā dù.
    Tomorrow's high temperature will be 38 degrees.
  • ，高温。
    Xià tiān de shí hou, gāo wēn ràng rén hěn bù shū fu.
    In summer, the high temperature makes people very uncomfortable.
  • 高温。
    Zhè zhǒng cái liào bú pà gāo wēn.
    This kind of material is not afraid of high temperatures.

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.

高gāohigh
温wēntemperature

高温 describes a temperature that is high: 高 gives high and 温 gives temperature.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

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 溫; 温 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 溫 is based on an older form 𥁕, which drew a person bathing in a container full of warm water. The simplified 温 is a later variant.

Open 温 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Climate & Seasons

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.