高空 (gāo kōng) — high altitude | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

高空 is specifically high altitude — great height above the ground (skydiving, tall buildings). 空中 is broader, just 'in the air / the sky' at any height.

noun

high altitude

Examples

高空。
Tiào sǎn yùn dòng yuán cóng gāo kōng tiào xià.
The skydiver jumped from a high altitude.
高空。
Zhè zhǒng niǎo néng zài gāo kōng fēi xiáng.
This kind of bird can fly at high altitude.
高空。
Jiàn zhù gōng rén zài gāo kōng shī gōng shí bì xū xì ān quán dài.
Construction workers must wear safety belts when working at high altitude.

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 means high and 空 means sky, so together they describe the upper sky or high altitude.

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.

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

穴工空

Meaning part形符xíngfú

穴穴xuécave, hole

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

工gōng空kōng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

空 is built from 穴, a cave or hole, and 工, which gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Sky & Space

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