Definitions
(noun)
top; apex; peak
(verb)
to carry on the head; to push to the top
(verb)
to go against; to resist
(verb)
to replace; to substitute
(verb)
to be subjected to (wind, rain etc)
About
The character "顶" in its traditional form "頂" is a phono-semantic compound, combining the semantic component "頁", which denotes the head, with the phonetic component "丁". Its earliest core meaning was the literal top of the head or crown, from which it naturally extended to signify the highest point or summit of any object, such as a mountain or a roof. This spatial concept further evolved into a verb meaning to support something with the head, to carry on the head, or to bear an upward force from below, leading to its use in terms like "to prop up" or "to withstand". Over time, the character's application broadened into more abstract and figurative realms, where it came to express concepts of matching or opposing, as in "to retort" or "to answer back", and eventually took on the meaning of substituting or taking the place of something, as seen in the term for a substitute or stand-in. The simplified form "顶" retains both the core phonetic element and the simplified semantic radical for "head", preserving this conceptual lineage from a physical pinnacle to a range of supportive and substitutive functions.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我头顶有帽子。
山顶的风景很美。
他住在顶楼。
你要顶住压力。
他顶替了队长。
顶多三天就完成。
不要跟父母顶嘴。
这是顶级的产品。