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劫 (jié) — to rob; to plunder; to seize by force; to coerce; to force

Definition

劫 is a formal/written verb for violent seizure by force — used in 劫持 (hijack), 劫机, 银行被劫. Colloquial speech usually prefers 抢劫 (rob a person/place); 掠夺 is broader plundering of resources.

verb
to robto plunderto seize by forceto coerceto force
Easily confused

Examples

  • 劫。
    Zuó tiān yè lǐ yǒu rén jié le yì jiā yín háng.
    Last night someone robbed a bank.
  • 。
    Kǒng bù fèn zǐ jié chí le yí jià kè jī.
    Terrorists hijacked a passenger plane.
  • 。
    Bǎng fěi jié chí rén zhì suǒ yào shú jīn.
    The kidnappers took hostages and demanded a ransom.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower, force
Sound part声符shēngfú
去
去qù劫jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

劫 pairs 去, which gives the sound, with 力, meaning power or force.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Crime & Police5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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