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圈套 (quān tào) — trap, snare, trick

Definition

A 'trap' or 'snare' set deliberately to deceive someone, usually a scheme rather than a physical device. Compared to 陷阱, 圈套 emphasizes a plot or trick (often verbal/psychological), while 陷阱 can be literal or figurative.

noun
trapsnaretrick

Examples

  • 圈套。
    Tā diào jìn le dí rén shè xià de quān tào.
    He fell into the trap set by others.
  • 圈套。
    Jǐng fāng shí pò le fàn zuì fèn zǐ de quān tào.
    The police saw through the criminals' trap.
  • 圈套，。
    Bié zhōng le tā men de quān tào, yào xiǎo xīn yì diǎn.
    Don't fall for their trap; be careful.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

圈quānloop
套tàosnare

圈 “loop” and 套 “snare” combine to mean a trap or trick.

Characters in this word

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
囗囗wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
卷
卷juàn圈quān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

圈 is made of the outer 囗, an enclosure shape, and the inner 卷, which gives the sound.

Open 圈 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 大大dàlarge
  • 長長chánglong

套 is made from 大 (large) and 長 (long), originally for something long, with some reference to hair; it later came to mean a cover or a linked group.

Open 套 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Crime & Police

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