noun HSK 5
gāo cháo
climax · high tide · orgasm · peak

Meaning

高潮 literally means 'high tide' but is used metaphorically to describe the peak, climax, or most intense moment of something. It can refer to the climax of a story, performance, event, or emotional experience. In physiological contexts, it means orgasm.

Usage

Commonly used in literary and artistic contexts to describe dramatic peaks (故事的高潮 'the climax of the story'). Also appears in discussions of performances, celebrations, or movements reaching their peak intensity. In medical or intimate contexts, it refers to sexual climax. The word is relatively formal in non-physiological uses.

Examples

  1. 01
    这部电影在最后十分钟达到了高潮
    Zhè diànyǐng zài zuìhòu shí fēnzhōng dào le gāo cháo.
    This movie reached its climax in the final ten minutes.
  2. 02
    晚会在大合唱中被推向高潮
    Wǎnhuì zài héchàng zhōng bèi tuī xiàng gāo cháo.
    The evening party was pushed toward its climax with the grand chorus.

Characters

Measure words

  • 一个高潮
  • 一次高潮

Common collocations

  • 达到高潮
    dào gāo cháo
    to reach a climax
  • 把...推向高潮
    ... tuī xiàng gāo cháo
    to push... toward a climax
  • 高潮迭起
    gāo cháo dié
    one climax after another
  • 情绪高潮
    qíng gāo cháo
    emotional peak

Antonyms

Origin

Combines 高 (high) and 潮 (tide) to create the image of a high tide, which became a metaphor for any peak or climactic moment.

Related