Definitions

yuè (noun) high mountain; peak
yuè (noun) wife's parents

Etymology

A mountain  range surrounded by hills 

About

The character 岳, also serving as the simplified form of the traditional character 嶽, is an ideogram composed of the component 丘 (qiū, hill) stacked directly above 山 (shān, mountain). This structure visually depicts a towering peak, aligning with its primary meaning of a very high mountain, particularly the sacred mountains of China. Beyond this geographical sense, the character also developed a distinct secondary meaning in kinship terms, referring to a wife's parents, as in father-in-law or mother-in-law. This familial usage represents a significant semantic shift from its origins, yet both the topographical and relational meanings remain in active use today.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我去过麓山。

Wǒ qù guo Yuèlù Shān.

I have been to Yuelu Mountain.

飞是民族英雄。

Yuè Fēi shì mínzú yīngxióng.

Yue Fei is a national hero.

先生是我的老师。

Yuè xiānsheng shì wǒ de lǎoshī.

Mr. Yue is my teacher.

父喜欢爬山。

Wǒ yuèfù xǐhuān páshān.

My father-in-law likes climbing mountains.

地区气候凉爽。

Shānyuè dìqū qìhòu liángshuǎng.

The mountain region has a cool climate.

之中,泰山最著名。

Wǔ yuè zhī zhōng, Tài Shān zuì zhùmíng.

Among the Five Great Mountains, Mount Tai is the most famous.

参观飞庙时,我学到了很多历史。

Cānguān Yuè Fēi miào shí, wǒ xué dào le hěn duō lìshǐ.

When visiting the Yue Fei Temple, I learned a lot of history.

尽管母起初不同意,但最终她支持了我们的决定。

Jǐnguǎn yuèmǔ qǐchū bù tóngyì, dàn zuìzhōng tā zhīchí le wǒmen de juédìng.

Although my mother-in-law initially disagreed, she eventually supported our decision.