Chinese word

戈壁

Pronunciation

Pinyingē bì

Meaning

  • nounGobi Desert

Example

我们穿过了无边的戈壁。wǒ men chuān guò liǎo wú biān de gē bì

We crossed the vast Gobi Desert.

Illustration for 戈壁 (Gobi Desert)

More examples

科研队在戈壁滩进行地质取样。kē yán duì zài gē bì tān jìn xíng dì zhì qǔ yàng

The research team took geological samples in the Gobi Desert area.

Core concept

A treeless expanse of dry ground marked by gravel, stones, and exposed rock.

Common phrases

  • 戈壁滩gē bì tān

    Gobi Desert region

  • 穿越戈壁chuān yuè gē bì

    cross the Gobi Desert

Similar words

沙漠shā mò: A large, extremely dry area whose surface is mostly sand.
沙地shā dì: Sandy ground or land where sand lies in a thick layer.
荒野huāng yě: A large, remote open area with few inhabitants and sparse plant life.

Definition in Chinese

广阔而干燥、地面多为砾石或裸岩的荒漠地带，常见于蒙古高原和中国北部。guǎng kuò ér gān zào dì miàn duō wèi lì shí huò luǒ yán de huāng mò dì dài cháng jiàn yú méng gǔ gāo yuán hé zhōng guó běi bù

Word origin

Chinese adopted 戈壁 (gēbì, "Gobi Desert") from Mongolian, and the characters were selected mainly to approximate the foreign pronunciation rather than to describe their literal meanings.

Usage tips

  • In travel and news contexts, this noun often follows verbs meaning cross, enter, or leave, making it useful for describing routes through remote regions.

Opposites

Related words

  • 戈壁滩gē bì tānGobi Desert regionnoun

Word lists with this word