瓴 (líng): long-necked water jar

Meanings

1 long-necked water jar
2 concave channel of roof tiling

Characters

瓴

líng

long-necked jar; roof-tile channel

Examples

高屋建瓴 describes an overwhelming, irresistible position.

Gāowūjiànlíng describes an overwhelming, irresistible position.

"Smashing a long-necked jar from a high roof" describes an overwhelming, irresistible position.

雨水顺着屋顶的瓴流下来。

Yǔshuǐ shùnzhe wūdǐng de líng liú xiàlái.

Rainwater runs along the channels of the roof tiles.

Tips

usage

Today 瓴 survives almost entirely in the idiom 高屋建瓴, literally pouring water from a jar off a high roof: acting from a commanding height that nothing can resist.

Components

radical

瓦 wǎ

tile; earthenware

瓦 is the tile/pottery radical, marking this as a fired clay object. It places 瓴 among ceramic vessels like 瓶 and 瓷.

phonetic

令 líng

command; order

令 gives the sound, read here as líng rather than its usual lìng. It carries no meaning in 瓴; the same phonetic appears in 领, 岭, and 龄.

Stroke Order

瓴 líng

Related Words

高屋建瓴 gāowū-jiànlíng

to pour water from a jug on top of a tall roof — an unstoppable commanding position / (of speech or strategy) sweeping and from a commanding vantage / to operate from a position of overwhelming advantage

杆 gān #2,946

pole; rod; shaft (long vertical type) / classifier for long thin objects

不久 bùjiǔ HSK 2 #2,694

soon / before long / not long after

冲 chōng HSK 4 #809

(of water) to dash against / to mix with water; to infuse / to rinse; to flush / to develop (film) / to rise (in the air) / to clash; to collide

凉水 liángshuǐ HSK 3 #30,123

cold water; cool water / unboiled water

热水 rèshuǐ HSK 6 #7,080

hot water; boiled water

恋 liàn #2,312

to love / to long for / attached to

流水 liúshuǐ HSK 7-9 #10,916

flowing water / running water / turnover (business)

久违 jiǔwéi HSK 7-9 #29,289

long time no see / long-absent; long-missed

唠叨 láodao HSK 7-9 #5,921

to nag / to chatter / to be long-winded