Definitions

(noun) dam; dike; embankment

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character for dam, traditionally written as 壩, structurally combines the earth radical 土 with 霸, a component that alludes to the function of mastering water flow. Its simplified form 坝 retains the earth radical but replaces the right side with 贝, a common graphical simplification. Etymologically, the character has always pertained to embankments, with its meaning evolving from a broader reference to earthen barriers in early usage to the more specific modern sense of a constructed dam for water management.

Example Sentences Hide

这个大很坚固。

Zhège dà bà hěn jiāngù.

This dam is very sturdy.

上可以散步。

Hé bà shàng kěyǐ sànbù.

You can take a walk on the river embankment.

他们在修建一座新水

Tāmen zài xiūjiàn yī zuò xīn shuǐbà.

They are building a new water dam.

这座拦河能防洪发电。

Zhè zuò lánhébà néng fánghóng fādiàn.

This barrage can prevent floods and generate electricity.

古老的堤保护着下游的村庄。

Gǔlǎo de dībà bǎohù zhe xiàyóu de cūnzhuāng.

The ancient embankment protects the villages downstream.

三峡大是一项宏伟的工程。

Sānxiá dà bà shì yī xiàng hóngwěi de gōngchéng.

The Three Gorges Dam is a magnificent engineering project.

泥石流在体上冲开了一个缺口。

Níshíliú zài bà tǐ shàng chōng kāi le yī gè quēkǒu.

The debris flow breached an opening in the dam body.

工程师们正在评估大的抗震稳定性。

Gōngchéngshīmen zhèngzài pínggū dà bà de kàngzhèn wěndìngxìng.

The engineers are assessing the dam's seismic stability.