natural barrier; trench; (esp.) Yangtze River
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
natural barrier; deep trench dividing terrain; (esp.) the Yangtze River as a strategic obstacle
literaryPrimarily used in formal or literary contexts, often in reference to the Yangtze River (长江天堑) or in Mao Zedong's famous phrase '天堑变通途' (turning a natural barrier into a thoroughfare).
Cháng长
jiāng江
tiān天
qiàn堑
，
zì自
gǔ古
wéi为
bīng兵
jiā家
bì必
zhēng争
zhī之
dì地
。
The Yangtze River, a natural barrier, has been a strategic location contested by military forces since ancient times.
Yī一
qiáo桥
fēi飞
jià架
nán南
běi北
，
tiān天
qiàn堑
biàn变
tōng通
tú途
。
A bridge spans north to south, turning the natural chasm into a thoroughfare.
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Cǐ此
dì地
yǒu有
tiān天
qiàn堑
zhī之
xiǎn险
，
yì易
shǒu守
nán难
gōng攻
。
This location has the natural defensive advantage of a deep barrier, easy to defend but difficult to attack.