屹立 yìlì to tower
to tower; to stand straight (of person's bearing)
How to remember 屹立: 屹 to rise + 立 to stand = to tower.
Characters
How it is used
- To stand towering and firm, unshaken - 纪念碑屹立在广场中央 (jìniànbēi yìlì zài guǎngchǎng zhōngyāng) the monument stands tall in the square.
- Elevated, admiring verb for tall solid things (mountains, monuments, towers) or, figuratively, a nation/person standing proud: 屹立于世界民族之林.
- Contrast plain 站 (zhàn, stand) and 矗立 (chùlì, stand tall, more purely descriptive); 屹立 adds the sense of steadfast permanence against forces.