戈壁

gēbì

noun HSK 7 #64,916

Meanings

1 gobi; gravel desert
2 barren rocky desert

Characters

dagger-axe (ancient weapon)

Phonetic loan from Mongolian meaning barren land; the characters' literal meanings are unrelated

Examples

戈壁滩上几乎没有植物。

Gēbì tān shàng jīhū méiyǒu zhíwù.

There are almost no plants on the gobi desert.

他们穿越了一片广阔的戈壁。

Tāmen chuānyuè le yí piàn guǎngkuò de gēbì.

They crossed a vast stretch of gobi desert.

Tips

history

戈壁 is a loanword from Mongolian (говь), meaning a dry, barren land with gravel and sparse vegetation. The English word 'Gobi' (as in Gobi Desert) comes from the same Mongolian root. It specifically refers to rocky desert, not sandy desert (沙漠).

In Pop Culture

戈壁滩 Gēbì Tān

Gobi Desert

vast desert region spanning northern China and southern Mongolia

Stroke Order

戈 gē

壁 bì