half of a wall; half of a country (esp. under invasion); semi-independent territory
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesnoun
half of something (like a wall); a half; one side
literaryIn classical and literary contexts, often used literally or metaphorically.
Xī夕
yáng阳
yìng映
zhào照
zhe着
gǔ古
chéng城
de的
bàn半
bì壁
chéng城
qiáng墙
。
The setting sun illuminated half of the ancient city's wall.
Tā他
zhǐ只
huà画
le了
shān山
shuǐ水
huà画
de的
bàn半
bì壁
，
biàn便
tíng停
xià下
le了
bǐ笔
。
He only painted half of the landscape painting before putting down his brush.
noun
half of a country's territory (esp. referring to a remnant state after invasion or loss); semi-independent region
literaryMost famously used in the idiom 半壁江山 (bàn bì jiāng shān). Often carries a historical or tragic connotation of a divided nation.
Nán南
Sòng宋
wáng王
cháo朝
piān偏
ān安
jiāng江
nán南
bàn半
bì壁
。
The Southern Song dynasty held onto a semi-independent realm in the region south of the Yangtze River.
Zài在
dí敌
jūn军
de的
jìn进
gōng攻
xià下
，
guó国
jiā家
zhǐ只
shèng剩
xià下
le了
bàn半
bì壁
。
Under the enemy's assault, the country was left with only half its territory.
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Jiāng江
nán南
bàn半
bì壁
，
fēng风
jǐng景
yī依
jiù旧
，
què却
yǐ已
wù物
shì是
rén人
fēi非
。
The scenery of the southern half of the realm remains, but the people and circumstances have completely changed.