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挫折 (cuò zhé) — to frustrate; to discourage; to set back

Definition

Refers to a setback or reversal that frustrates or discourages someone (e.g., 遇到挫折 'to meet with setbacks'). It is a common, general word for this experience.

verb
to frustrateto discourageto set back

Examples

  • 挫折。
    Zhè cì shī bài cuò zhé le tā de xìn xīn.
    This failure frustrated his confidence.
  • 挫折。
    Bú yào cuò zhé hái zi de xué xí xìng qù.
    Don't discourage the child's interest in learning.
  • 挫折。
    Rèn hé kùn nan dōu bù néng cuò zhé wǒ men.
    No difficulty can set us back.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

挫cuòfrustrate
折zhébreak

挫 and 折 are parallel, both suggesting being stopped or bent, so the word means setback.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
坐
坐zuò挫cuò
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

挫 is written with 扌, a hand shape, beside 坐, which gives its sound.

Open 挫 →

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

  • 屮𣏄𣏄a tree {{zh-m|*木}} cut in half
  • 斤斤jīnaxe

The shape originally showed an axe (斤) cutting a tree in half; in 折 the left part is now written as a hand.

Open 折 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & FeelingsSuccess & Failure

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