墙

墻/牆

qiáng

啬 + 土

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

qiáng (noun) wall

Etymology

Simplified form of 牆. Phonosemantic compound. 爿 represents the sound and 嗇 represents the meaning.

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 啬

About

The traditional character 牆 is a phonosemantic compound: the left component 爿, originally a pictograph of a split piece of wood, indicates the sound (qiáng), while the right component 嗇 (sè) conveys the meaning. 嗇 once depicted a granary or an enclosed storage space, evoking the idea of a surrounding wall. In the simplified form 墙, the left side was replaced with 土 (earth) to emphasize the primary material of ancient walls, and the right side was streamlined to 啬. The character primarily denotes a physical wall or barrier used for enclosure, structural support, or defense, and metaphorically extends to any obstacle or boundary separating people, concepts, or areas.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这面墙很白。

Zhè miàn qiáng hěn bái.

This wall is very white.

我们的教室有一面大墙。

Wǒmen de jiàoshì yǒu yī miàn dà qiáng.

Our classroom has a big wall.

他在墙上贴了一张地图。

Tā zài qiáng shàng tiē le yī zhāng dìtú.

He put a map on the wall.

公园的围墙是红色的。

Gōngyuán de wéiqiáng shì hóngsè de.

The park's surrounding wall is red.

古老的城墙吸引了很多游客。

Gǔlǎo de chéngqiáng xīyǐn le hěn duō yóukè.

The ancient city wall attracts many tourists.

这堵墙的隔音效果非常好。

Zhè dǔ qiáng de géyīn xiàoguǒ fēicháng hǎo.

The sound insulation of this wall is excellent.

墙角的爬山虎长得非常茂盛。

Qiángjiǎo de páshānhǔ zhǎng dé fēicháng màoshèng.

The ivy in the corner of the wall is growing very lushly.

城墙的保护工作正在有序进行。

Chéngqiáng de bǎohù gōngzuò zhèngzài yǒuxù jìnxíng.

The conservation work on the city wall is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Related Characters

Component: 啬

Component: 土

墙