扫毒 (sǎo dú) — to conduct a drug crackdown, to launch an anti-drug campaign

Definition

扫毒 is a verb-object phrase meaning to 'sweep drugs' — i.e. a coordinated law-enforcement drive to bust drug activity, not a single arrest. Often paired with 行动 ('campaign').

verb
to conduct a drug crackdownto launch an anti-drug campaign

Examples

  • 。
    Jǐng fāng zài zhè ge chéng shì sǎo le yí cì dú.
    The police conducted a drug crackdown in this city once.
  • 扫毒。
    Zhèng fǔ jué dìng kāi zhǎn sǎo dú xíng dòng.
    The government decided to launch an anti-drug campaign.
  • 扫毒。
    Zhè cì sǎo dú qǔ dé le hěn dà chéng guǒ.
    This drug crackdown achieved great results.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

扫sǎosweep away
毒dúpoison/drugs

扫 means to sweep away and 毒 refers to poison or drugs, so the word pictures clearing away harmful substances.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 掃; 扫 is its simplified writing.

The form 掃 draws a hand with a broomstick, the thing used for sweeping.

Open 扫 →

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
屮屮chèvegetation
Sound part声符shēngfú
毐
毐ǎi毒dú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

毒 pairs 屮, a plant part, with 毐 as a sound part; this form was used for a poisonous plant.

Open 毒 →

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