豎 (shù) - Vertical & upright

豎Tone 4

shù ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

树檀

豎 · shù

Vertical;

upright;

perpendicular;

to erect;

to set up;

also used to describe something standing straight.

Verticaluprightperpendicular

Usage highlights

Vertical lineVertical and horizontalStand uprightVertical writingVertical strokeErect a monument

Synonyms

  • 直— straight; vertical
  • 立— to stand; erect

Antonyms

  • 横— horizontal
  • 卧— lying down; horizontal

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The wall is vertical (竖墙).
  • Please stand the pole upright (把杆子竖起来).
  • He set up a signboard (他竖了一块招牌).
  • Vertical writing (竖写).

Collocations

  • Vertical line(竖线)
  • Vertical and horizontal(竖横)
  • Stand upright(竖立)
  • Vertical writing(竖写)
  • Vertical stroke (in Chinese characters)(竖笔)
  • Erect a monument(竖碑)

Idioms

  • To erect a rival banner(另竖旗帜)
  • To raise a new standard(独竖一帜)
  • Hairs standing on end(毛骨悚然 - though not directly using 竖, describes the sensation)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese calligraphy, the 'vertical stroke' (竖) is one of the basic strokes and carries significant weight in character structure.
  • Historically used in contrast to 'horizontal' (横) to describe opposing directions or dimensions.
  • In traditional Chinese book formatting, text was written in vertical columns from right to left.

FAQ