Chinese word

荆棘

Pronunciation

Pinyinjīng jí

Meaning

  • nounthorns

Example

院子里长满了荆棘，挡住了阳光。yuàn zi lǐ zháng mǎn le jīng jí dǎng zhù le yáng guāng

The yard was full of thorns, and they blocked the sunlight.

Illustration for 荆棘 (thorns)

More examples

通往成功的路常常布满了荆棘。tōng wǎng chéng gōng de lù cháng cháng bù mǎn le jīng jí

The road to success is often covered in thorns.

Core concept

A tangled mass of thorny growth that blocks movement and becomes a picture of difficulties in the way forward.

Common phrases

  • 荆棘丛jīng jí cóng

    thicket of thorns

  • 荆棘之路jīng jí zhī lù

    thorny road

Similar words

刺cì: A sharp point on a plant or animal.
障碍zhàng ài: Anything that blocks progress or gets in the way of an action.
困难kùn nán: A problem or situation that is hard to solve or handle.

Definition in Chinese

长着很多刺的灌木或藤本植物，也比喻阻碍前进的困难或障碍。zhǎng zhe hěn duō cì de guàn mù huò téng běn zhí wù yě bǐ yù zǔ ài qián jìn de kùn nán huò zhàng ài

Word origin

荆 (jīng, "thorny shrub") + 棘 (jí, "thorn") forms a compound for dense thorn growth, which extends naturally to obstacles that hinder progress.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this noun sounds literary and vivid, so plain wording is usually more natural for routine problems, while this term suits writing and expressive speech.

Other meanings

  • bramblesnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 荆棘丛jīng jí cóngthicket of thornsnoun

Word lists with this word