抢光 (qiǎng guāng) — to loot everything, to rob completely

Definition

A resultative verb meaning to take everything — 抢 (rob/loot) + 光 (completely, nothing left). Focuses on the total, empty outcome, not the act of taking.

verb
to loot everythingto rob completely

Examples

  • 抢光。
    Qiáng dào bǎ shāng diàn lǐ de dōng xī dōu qiǎng guāng le.
    The robbers looted everything in the store.
  • 抢光。
    Tā men qiǎng guāng le cūn lǐ de suǒ yǒu liáng shi.
    They looted all the grain in the village.
  • 抢光。
    Xiǎo tōu bǎ jiā lǐ de qián dōu qiǎng guāng le.
    The thief robbed all the money from the house.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

抢qiǎngrob
光guāngcompletely

抢 means rob and 光 means completely or emptied; the action is carried to completion.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 搶; 抢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng搶qiǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 搶 pairs 扌 (hand) with 倉, which gives the sound; the simplified 抢 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 抢 →

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

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

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