崖 (yá) - Cliff, precipice & a steep, high rock face or bank

崖Tone 2

yá ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

信嫣

崖 · yá

Cliff, precipice;

a steep, high rock face or bank;

metaphorically, a critical point or limit.

Cliff, precipicea steep, high rock face or bankmetaphorically, a critical point or limit.

Usage highlights

CliffMountain cliffCliff edgeCliff wallCliff dwellingCliff tomb

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The climber scaled the sheer cliff (悬崖).
  • They stood at the cliff's edge (悬崖边).
  • The village is perched on a mountain cliff (山崖).
  • He was on the brink of despair (处于绝望的崖边).

Collocations

  • Cliff(悬崖)
  • Mountain cliff(山崖)
  • Cliff edge(崖边)
  • Cliff wall(崖壁)
  • Cliff dwelling(崖居)
  • Cliff tomb(崖墓)

Idioms

  • Standing on a precipice, facing a bottomless abyss(悬崖绝壁)
  • To rein in at the brink of the precipice(悬崖勒马)
  • A cliff and a cave(崖穴之间)
  • Steep cliffs and sheer precipices(悬崖峭壁)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese landscape painting, cliffs (崖) represent majesty, danger, and the sublime power of nature.
  • Used metaphorically in Buddhism and Daoism to signify a critical juncture in spiritual practice or a point of no return.
  • Historical sites include cliff inscriptions (摩崖石刻) and cliff tombs (崖墓) from ancient times.

FAQ