引路 (yǐn lù) — to lead the way, to guide (someone) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

To lead the way or guide someone physically along a route — someone goes first and the others follow. Compared with 引导, 引路 is more concrete and spatial, used for an actual path.

verb

to lead the wayto guide (someone)

Examples

，引路。
Nǐ zǒu qián miàn, wǒ lái yǐn lù.
You go ahead, I'll lead the way.
。
Tā gěi wǒ men yǐn le yí cì lù.
He led the way for us once.
引路，。
Tā wèi wǒ men yǐn lù, wǒ men hěn kuài jiù dào le.
He led the way for us, and we arrived quickly.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

引 (lead) and 路 (road) together mean to lead the way.

Characters in this word

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

弓弓gōngbow
丿丿piěindicatory stroke

引 is made from 弓, a bow, and 丿, a short slant stroke added at the place where the string is pulled, marking the action of drawing or pulling.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

各

各gè路lù

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Appears in

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