鸿沟

鴻溝

hónggōu

noun #30,085

Measure Word

一道鸿沟 dào

Meanings

1 great divide
2 wide gap
3 unbridgeable chasm

Characters

swan; great; vast

ditch; channel; groove

Examples

两代人之间存在着一道难以跨越的鸿沟。

Liǎng dài rén zhījiān cúnzài zhe yīdào nányǐ kuàyuè de hónggōu.

There is an unbridgeable gap between the two generations.

贫富之间的鸿沟越来越大。

Pínfù zhījiān de hónggōu yuèláiyuè dà.

The gap between rich and poor is growing wider.

Tips

history

鸿沟 originally referred to the Hong Canal (鸿沟) in Henan province, which historically formed the boundary between the Chu and Han kingdoms during the Chu-Han Contention (~206–202 BC). This historical division gave the word its modern figurative meaning of an insurmountable divide.

Stroke Order

鸿 hóng

沟 gōu