悬崖 xuányá precipice
precipice; overhanging cliff
How to remember 悬崖: 悬 to hang + 崖 cliff = precipice.
Characters
How it is used
- A cliff/precipice - 站在悬崖边 (zhàn zài xuányá biān) standing at the cliff's edge.
- Famous in the idiom 悬崖勒马 (xuányá lèmǎ) - rein in the horse at the cliff's edge, i.e. pull back just before disaster.
- Vivid, slightly literary; plainer everyday words are 山崖 or just 崖.
Example sentences
- 我差点从悬崖上掉下去。 Wǒ chàdiǎn cóng xuányá shàng diàoxiàqù.I nearly fell off the cliff.
- 车子若是掉落悬崖他们早就没命了。 Chēzi ruò shì diàoluò xuányá tāmen zǎojiù méimìng le.They'd have been killed if the car had gone over the cliff.