About
The character 横 is a phono-semantic compound, with the left radical 木 (wood) indicating its material, and the right component 黄 providing its phonetic value. Its original meaning was a wooden crossbar or horizontal beam used in structures like barriers or yokes. This concrete sense of a bar lying across something led to the extended meaning of anything horizontal or transverse. With a different tonal pronunciation, 横 also came to describe behavior that is perverse, harsh, or unreasonable, acting against the normal course.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这条河很宽。
请横向移动这个箱子。
不要横穿马路，很危险。
螃蟹是横着走路的动物。
那座新建的大桥横跨大江两岸。
事情本来很顺利，谁知又横生枝节。
他对别人的工作总是横加指责。
在历史的洪流中，个人命运往往显得横逆莫测。