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抢夺 (qiǎng duó) — to forcibly take, to plunder

Definition

抢夺 stresses forcibly snatching something by hand or by action — more physical and direct than 夺取 (seize control/territory, often abstract). Contrast with 抢劫 (rob a person/place) and 盗窃 (steal covertly).

verb
to forcibly taketo plunder

Examples

  • 抢夺。
    Bù fǎ fèn zǐ qiǎng duó le tā de shǒu jī.
    Criminals forcibly took his phone.
  • 抢夺。
    Liǎng gè guó jiā wèi le qiǎng duó zī yuán fā shēng le chōng tū.
    The two countries clashed over plundering resources.
  • 抢夺。
    Tā shì tú qiǎng duó bié rén de gōng láo lái shēng zhí.
    He tried to steal other people's credit to get promoted.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

抢qiǎngsnatch
夺duóseize

抢 and 夺 both mean taking by force, so together they describe plundering.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 奪; 夺 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 奪 includes 又 (a hand), 雀 (a bird), and 衣 (clothing), showing a hand seizing a bird from someone; the simplified 夺 is a later abbreviation.

Open 夺 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Crime & Police

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