岳

Compound ideograph:

丘 (hill, mound) – representing raised land.

山 (mountain) – reinforcing the meaning of mountain.

Together they depict a grand, towering mountain.

Semantic range:

- great mountain, high peak;

- metaphorical: greatness, majesty, eminence;

- figurative: 岳父 (wife’s father) – father-in-law, by extension 岳母 (wife’s mother).

岳父 (악부) – father-in-law (wife’s father)

岳母 (악모) – mother-in-law (wife’s mother)

五岳 (오악) – the Five Great Mountains of China

北岳 (북악) – the Northern Peak

南岳 (남악) – the Southern Peak

岳 is also used in names of famous mountains (e.g., 泰山, one of the 五岳).

As a simplification of 嶽, it has become the standard form in modern Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

In literary usage, 岳 can signify greatness or eminence in character as well as geography.

嶽