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高高的 (gāo gāo de) — very tall; tall and tall (reduplicated adjective form for emphasis)

Definition

Reduplicated form of 高, meaning 'very tall' — used for a striking, upright presence (people, buildings, trees). Add 的 after the reduplication to modify a noun.

adjective
very talltall and tall (reduplicated adjective form for emphasis)

Examples

  • 高高的，。
    Tā gè zi gāo gāo de de, zài rén qún zhōng hěn xiǎn yǎn.
    He is very tall and stands out in the crowd.
  • 高高的，。
    Nà zuò lóu gāo gāo de de, yǒu sān shí duō céng.
    That building is very tall, with over thirty floors.
  • 高高的。
    Shān shàng zhǎng mǎn le gāo gāo de de sōng shù.
    The mountain is covered with very tall pine trees.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

高高
高gāotall高gāotall
重叠Reduplication
的dedescriptive

高 appears twice to stress tallness, and 的 gives a descriptive feel.

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 →

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
白白báiwhite
Sound part声符shēngfú
勺
勺sháo的de
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

的 pairs 白, related to white or brightness, with 勺, which gives a clue to the sound. Its older form 旳 meant bright.

Open 的 →
Appears in
Size & Dimension

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