高城深池

gāochéngshēnchí

idiom

Meanings

1 high walls and a deep moat (idiom)
2 impenetrable fortifications
3 an impregnable defense

Characters

city wall; city

Examples

这座古城高城深池，易守难攻。

Zhè zuò gǔchéng gāochéngshēnchí, yì shǒu nán gōng.

This ancient city had high walls and deep moats — easy to defend, hard to attack.

再坚固的高城深池也挡不住人心向背。

Zài jiāngù de gāochéngshēnchí yě dǎngbuzhù rénxīn xiàngbèi.

Even the most impregnable fortress cannot withstand the shift of people's hearts.

Tips

history

From 晁错's Han-dynasty memorial 《论贵粟疏》: "虽有高城深池，严法重刑，犹不能禁也" — even high walls, deep moats, strict laws and harsh penalties cannot stop hunger-driven rebellion. The phrase also appears in 《史记·礼书》, arguing that walls alone are not what truly secures a state.

memory

池 chí here is NOT "pond" but the older sense "moat" (the water encircling city walls). Visualize the four characters as a complete fortress: 高 high + 城 walls + 深 deep + 池 moat.

Stroke Order

高 gāo

城 chéng

深 shēn

池 chí