Chinese word

横

Pronunciation

Pinyinhéng

Meaning

  • adjectivehorizontal

Example

这张照片是横的。zhè zhāng zhào piān shì héng de

This photo is horizontal.

Illustration for 横 (horizontal)

More examples

企业通过横向合作扩大市场份额。qǐ yè tōng guò héng xiàng hé zuò kuò dà shì chǎng fèn é

Companies expand their market share through horizontal cooperation.

Core concept

A position that runs across from side to side rather than up and down.

Common phrases

  • 横向推广héng xiàng tuī guǎng

    horizontal promotion

  • 横向合作héng xiàng hé zuò

    horizontal cooperation

Similar words

水平shuǐ píng: Level and flat, with no tilt compared with the ground or a set reference.
横向héng xiàng: Facing or extending toward the left or right side.
平行píng xíng: Having the same direction as another line or surface without meeting it.

Definition in Chinese

描述物体与地面平行或长边在左右方向的状态，也可表示侧放或横着的姿态。miáo shù wù tǐ yǔ dì miàn píng xíng huò cháng biān zài zuǒ yòu fāng xiàng de zhuàng tài yě kě biǎo shì cè fàng huò héng zhe de zī tài

Word origin

横 (héng, "horizontal") is a phono-semantic character built from 木 (mù, "wood") and 黄 (huáng, "yellow"), with the older idea of a crosswise wooden bar helping explain its side-to-side sense.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, 横 (héng, "horizontal") describes a position, while a separate verb usually expresses putting or turning something into that position.

Other meanings

  • sidewaysnoun

Opposites

  • 纵向zòng xiànglongitudinaladjective
  • 垂直chuí zhíverticaladjective

Related words

Word lists with this word