Learn a Chinese Character - 高

1. Character Basics

Radical: 高 (gāo, itself as radical)

Stroke Count: 10

Structure: Single character structure. It represents a building with a high roof, indicating height or tallness.

Stroke Order:

Pinyin: Gāo

Tone: First tone (level tone)

Core Meaning: Having a great distance from top to bottom; being far above the ground or a reference point.

Detailed Meanings:

高兴 (gāoxìng) - Happy; glad

Example: 听到这个好消息，我很高兴。(Tīngdào zhège hǎo xiāoxi, wǒ hěn gāoxìng.)

Translation: I'm very happy to hear this good news.
高山 (gāoshān) - High mountain

Example: 远处有一座高山。(Yuǎnchù yǒu yī zuò gāoshān.)

Translation: There is a high mountain in the distance.
高大 (gāodà) - Tall and big

Example: 他是一个高大的男人。(Tā shì yīgè gāodà de nánrén.)

Translation: He is a tall man.
高级 (gāojí) - High-level; advanced

Example: 这是一个高级餐厅。(Zhè shì yīgè gāojí cāntīng.)

Translation: This is a high-end restaurant.
高温 (gāowēn) - High temperature

Example: 今天天气高温，注意防暑。(Jīntiān tiānqì gāowēn, zhùyì fángshǔ.)

Translation: It's very hot today, be careful to prevent heat stroke.

Part of Speech: Mainly used as an adjective, also as a noun or adverb

Usage Pattern:

As an adjective: Describes the height or vertical extent of something
As a noun: Refers to high rank or status
As an adverb: Modifies verbs to indicate high degree
Commonly used in compound words to express various concepts related to height, quality, or degree

Common Collocations:

In Chinese culture and history, the character 高 (gāo) holds significant cultural meaning:

Auspicious Symbolism: High places and tall structures are often associated with good fortune and divine connection in Chinese culture.
Social Status: The character 高 is frequently used to denote high social status, nobility, and respectability.
Cultural Values: Phrases like 高风亮节 (gāo fēng liàng jié) praise noble character and integrity, reflecting traditional Chinese values.
Philosophical Concepts: In Taoism, 高 is associated with the idea of transcendence and reaching higher states of consciousness.
Historical Architecture: Traditional Chinese architecture often features high roofs and tall structures, symbolizing power and prosperity.

Example 1:

这座大楼很高，有50层。(Zhè zuò dàlóu hěn gāo, yǒu 50 céng.)

Translation: This building is very tall, with 50 floors.

Example 2:

他的成绩在班里很高。(Tā de chéngjì zài bān lǐ hěn gāo.)

Translation: His grades are very high in the class.

Example 3:

我们要提高生活质量。(Wǒmen yào tígāo shēnghuó zhìliàng.)

Translation: We need to improve the quality of life.

How to Remember 高 (gāo):

Shape Association: The character 高 looks like a tall building with a high roof. Imagine a multi-story structure reaching up to the sky.
Component Breakdown: Although it's a single radical character, you can break it into parts: 亠 (roof) on top, 口 (mouth) in the middle, and 冋 (enclosure) at the bottom, representing a tall enclosed structure.
Word Family: Learn related words together: 高兴 (happy), 高山 (high mountain), 高大 (tall) to reinforce the character's meaning and usage.
Memory Phrase: "一点一横长，口字在中央，大口张着嘴，小口里面藏" (Yī diǎn yī héng cháng, kǒu zì zài zhōngyāng, dà kǒu zhāngzhe zuǐ, xiǎo kǒu lǐmiàn cáng) is a traditional rhyme describing the stroke order of 高.