垛

垜

duǒ, duò

土 + 朵

Definitions

duǒ (noun) battlement; target

duò (noun,verb) pile

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 朵 represents the sound. Simplified form of 垜.

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 朵

About

垛 is a phono-semantic compound and the simplified form of 垜. The radical 土 (earth) on the left suggests the semantic domain of dirt, construction, or ground formations, while the component 朵 on the right indicates the sound. Depending on its tone, the character either refers to the raised parapets or battlements atop defensive city walls that protected archers and guards, or serves as a verb and noun for stacking items into neat piles, such as hay, firewood, or bricks. The earth radical thus connects these military structures with everyday piled materials.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Jin dynasty (266-420 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

麦子堆成了垛。

Mài zi duī chéng le duǒ.

The wheat was piled into a stack.

农场里有许多干草垛。

Nóngchǎng lǐ yǒu xǔduō gāncǎo duǒ.

There are many haystacks on the farm.

他把收割的稻草整齐地码成了垛。

Tā bǎ shōugē de dàocǎo zhěngqí de mǎ chéng le duǒ.

He neatly stacked the harvested rice straw into a pile.

孩子们喜欢在草垛后面玩捉迷藏。

Háizimen xǐhuan zài cǎoduò hòumiàn wán zhuōmícáng.

The children like to play hide-and-seek behind the haystacks.

丰收后，田边堆起了一个个金黄的谷垛。

Fēngshōu hòu, tián biān duī qǐle yī gègè jīnhuáng de gǔ duǒ.

After the harvest, golden grain stacks were piled up by the fields.

为了防止雨水，他们用塑料布盖住了新垒的柴垛。

Wèile fángzhǐ yǔshuǐ, tāmen yòng sùliàobù gài zhùle xīn lěi de cháiduò.

To protect from the rain, they covered the newly built woodpile with a plastic sheet.

城墙上的垛口在夕阳下显得格外庄严。

Chéngqiáng shàng de duǒkǒu zài xīyáng xià xiǎnde géwài zhuāngyán.

The battlements on the city wall looked particularly solemn in the setting sun.

这些砖垛不仅起到了支撑作用，还构成了独特的景观。

Zhèxiē zhuānduò bùjǐn qǐdàole zhīchēng zuòyòng, hái gòuchéngle dútè de jǐngguān.

These brick buttresses not only serve a supporting function but also form a unique landscape.

Related Characters

Component: 土

Component: 朵