城墙
chéngqiáng · HSK 7
city wall
🏯🧱 城 (city) + 墙 (wall) = the wall that rings a city
Chéngqiáng sounds a bit like 'strong chain' — and that's what a city wall is: a chain of stone wrapping the perimeter. 城 means city or fortress, 墙 means wall. Together they name the massive defensive ramparts around ancient Chinese cities.
城 — earth radical 土 + 成 (to complete)
Originally a semantic-phonetic compound: 土 (earth) gives the meaning, since ancient cities were defended by rammed-earth walls, while 成 supplies the sound. The earliest meaning was 'city wall,' which later broadened to 'walled city' and then simply 'city' or 'town.'
墙 — earth radical 土 + 啬 (qiáng/sè) phonetic
墙 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The earth radical 土 signals the meaning, since ancient walls were built from packed earth or mud bricks. The right side 啬 supplies the sound, originally depicting a granary, hinting at enclosing and storing. Together they form 'wall'.